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Questions & Answers about Jeg ville kjøpe en bil.
Why is ville used instead of vil, and what tense does ville represent here?
Ville is the past-tense form of the modal verb vil (to want). In this sentence it means “wanted,” not “would.” So Jeg ville kjøpe en bil translates to “I wanted to buy a car.”
Why isn’t there an å before kjøpe, since that’s the infinitive marker?
Normally you mark the infinitive with å (e.g. å kjøpe = to buy). However, after modal verbs like ville, Norwegian drops the å, so it becomes ville kjøpe rather than ville å kjøpe.
What role does en play before bil, and how would the meaning change with a different form?
En is the indefinite singular article (“a”). En bil means “a car.” If you said bilen (“the car”) you’d be referring to a specific, definite car: Jeg ville kjøpe bilen = “I wanted to buy the car.”
Can you omit en and just say Jeg ville kjøpe bil, and does that change the nuance?
Yes, dropping en is grammatically fine: Jeg ville kjøpe bil. It sounds more general or abstract (like “I wanted to buy cars” in principle). Including en makes it one specific, unnamed car.
Can ville also function as “would” in a conditional sense?
Absolutely. In a conditional sentence you’ll see ville express “would,” e.g. Jeg ville kjøpe en bil hvis jeg hadde råd = “I would buy a car if I had the means.” Context and the presence of a condition clause tell you it’s conditional rather than simple past.
What is the word order in Jeg ville kjøpe en bil, and does it change with other verbs or tenses?
The order here is Subject (Jeg) – Modal verb (ville) – Infinitive (kjøpe) – Object (en bil). When you use a modal + infinitive, you always keep that structure. In a simple present or past without a modal you’d have Subject – Finite Verb – Object (e.g. Jeg kjøpte en bil).