Paraplyen hjelper lite når vinden blir sterkere.

The umbrella helps little when the wind becomes stronger.

Breakdown of Paraplyen hjelper lite når vinden blir sterkere.

• når: when
• bli: to become
• hjelpe: to help
• sterk: strong
• paraplyen: the umbrella
• lite: little
• vinden: the wind

Questions & Answers about Paraplyen hjelper lite når vinden blir sterkere.

What’s the difference between lite and litt when modifying verbs or adjectives?

In Norwegian, lite and litt both mean “little,” but they have different uses:

• lite is a negative adverb meaning “not much” or “hardly at all.” You use it to downplay how much something happens or helps.
• litt is a positive adverb meaning “a little” or “somewhat.” You use it to indicate a small but real amount.
  Examples:
  • Han snakker litt engelsk. (He speaks English a little.)
  • Det hjelper lite når du roper. (It hardly helps when you shout.)

What does hjælper lite mean here, and how is it different from hjelper ikke mye?

hjælper lite literally means “helps little,” i.e. “does very little good” or “is hardly useful.”

• hjelper ikke mye also means “doesn’t help much,” but hjælper lite is more idiomatic and concise in Norwegian.
  Both express a low degree of usefulness, but “hjælper lite” sounds more natural in many everyday contexts.

Why is the noun paraplyen in the definite form instead of en paraply?

Norwegian marks definiteness by adding a suffix to the noun:
• en paraply = “an umbrella” (indefinite)
• paraplyen = “the umbrella” (definite)
Here, paraplyen refers to a specific umbrella that both speaker and listener know about. If you wanted to speak generally—“an umbrella doesn’t help much when the wind picks up”—you could say En paraply hjelper lite når vinden blir sterkere.

Why do we say vinden blir sterkere instead of vinden er sterkere?

The verb bli (“to become”) signals a change or process:
• vinden blir sterkere = “the wind becomes/gets stronger”
• vinden er sterkere = “the wind is stronger” (a state)
Since the sentence describes what happens as the wind intensifies, blir is the natural choice.

How is the comparative sterkere formed? Why not mer sterk?

Norwegian adjectives form comparatives in two ways:

1. Synthetic (one-syllable or short adjectives): add -ere
   • sterk → sterkere (strong → stronger)
2. Analytical (long adjectives or loan-words): use mer + adjective
   • interessant → mer interessant (interesting → more interesting)
   Since sterk is a short adjective, you drop the k and add -kere, giving sterkere.

What’s the word order in the subordinate clause når vinden blir sterkere?

In Norwegian subordinate clauses introduced by a conjunction (like når), you still follow the verb-second (V2) rule within that clause:

1. Conjunction (når)
2. Subject (vinden)
3. Finite verb (blir)
4. Rest of clause (sterkere)
   Unlike German (where the verb goes to the end), Norwegian keeps the verb in the second position relative to the subject.

Could you use hvis or da instead of når, and what’s the difference?

• når = “when” for general, repeated or inevitable events (present/future).
• hvis = “if” for hypothetical or conditional situations.
• da = “when” for a specific point in the past.
  In our sentence you describe what happens every time the wind intensifies (a general truth), so når is the correct choice.