Ikke brenn papiret.

Brenn is the imperative form of the verb å brenne (to burn).

The imperative is the form used for commands, instructions, and warnings:

• Brenn det. — burn it
• Ikke brenn det. — don’t burn it

In Bokmål, the imperative is often made by removing the infinitive ending from the verb:

• å snakke → snakk
• å skrive → skriv
• å brenne → brenn

So brenn means burn!

Because this is a negative command.

In Norwegian, when you tell someone not to do something, ikke normally comes before the imperative verb:

• Ikke brenn papiret.
• Ikke gå dit. — don’t go there
• Ikke rør den. — don’t touch it

This is the normal pattern for negative imperatives in Norwegian: Ikke + imperative + object

So English Don’t burn the paper becomes Norwegian Ikke brenn papiret.

In standard Norwegian, Ikke brenn papiret is the normal and expected way to say it.

Brenn ikke papiret sounds unusual and marked in most ordinary contexts. A learner should strongly prefer:

• Ikke brenn papiret.

So if you want a natural negative command, put ikke first.

Because papiret is the definite singular form, meaning the paper.

Norwegian usually adds definiteness to the end of the noun:

• et papir — a paper / a piece of paper
• papiret — the paper

So:

• Ikke brenn papir. would sound more like Don’t burn paper in a general sense.
• Ikke brenn papiret. means Don’t burn the paper, referring to a specific paper.

Papir is a neuter noun in Bokmål.

That gives you:

• et papir — a paper
• papiret — the paper

For neuter nouns, the definite singular ending is usually -et.

Compare:

• et hus → huset
• et brev → brevet
• et papir → papiret

So the -et ending in papiret tells you it is a neuter noun in the definite singular.

It can be either.

In modern Norwegian, the imperative form does not change depending on whether you are speaking to one person or several people. So:

• Ikke brenn papiret.

can mean:

• don’t burn the paper, you (one person)
• don’t burn the paper, you all (more than one person)

The verb form stays the same.

It can be either, depending on tone and situation.

Ikke brenn papiret can sound like:

• a direct command
• a warning
• an instruction

For example:

• A teacher protecting an important document
• Someone warning another person near a candle
• Instructions in a task or manual

If you want something softer or less direct, Norwegian often uses other structures, such as:

• Du må ikke brenne papiret. — you must not burn the paper
• La være å brenne papiret. — don’t burn the paper / leave the paper unburned

But the plain imperative is very common and natural.

Brenn is pronounced with a short e sound and a strong nn ending.

A rough English-friendly guide would be something like:

• brenn ≈ brenn with a short vowel, somewhat like the e in bet, but followed by nn

The double consonant in spelling usually signals that the preceding vowel is short.

So brenn is short and crisp, not stretched out.

The spelling reflects the form of the verb and also helps show pronunciation.

The verb is å brenne, and the imperative is brenn. The double n helps indicate that the vowel is short.

This is common in Norwegian spelling:

• short vowel + double consonant

So the spelling brenn matches the normal written form of the imperative and the expected pronunciation.

Yes. In imperative sentences, the subject is normally omitted.

So instead of saying You, don’t burn the paper, Norwegian simply says:

• Ikke brenn papiret.

This is just like English commands:

• Sit down.
• Don’t move.

Norwegian does the same thing:

• Sett deg.
• Ikke rør den.
• Ikke brenn papiret.

The subject du is understood and does not need to be stated.

Yes, it could be.

In Bokmål, the sentence is:

• Ikke brenn papiret.

In Nynorsk, you would more commonly see:

• Ikkje brenn papiret.

The main difference here is ikke (Bokmål) versus ikkje (Nynorsk).

Everything else in this sentence can stay the same.