Breakdown of En forsinkelse kan oppstå på grunn av vind.
en
a
kunne
can
vinden
the wind
forsinkelsen
the delay
oppstå
to occur
på grunn av
because of
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Norwegian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about En forsinkelse kan oppstå på grunn av vind.
Why is en used before forsinkelse?
Because forsinkelse is a common‐gender (n‐gender) noun in Norwegian. Common‐gender nouns take the indefinite article en (feminine nouns also use en in Bokmål), whereas neuter nouns take et.
Why is there no article before vind?
Here vind is used in an indefinite, general sense (“because of wind in general”). With the prepositional phrase på grunn av, you normally leave the noun indefinite and omit en/ei/et. If you said på grunn av vinden, you’d be referring to a specific, previously mentioned wind.
Why do we say på grunn av instead of just på grunn or fordi?
- På grunn av is the fixed prepositional phrase meaning “because of” and always includes av before the noun.
- På grunn by itself isn’t used to introduce a reason.
- Fordi is a conjunction (“because”) that introduces a full clause with a verb (e.g. Forsinkelsen oppstår fordi det blåser).
What’s the difference between på grunn av vind and fordi det er vind?
- På grunn av vind uses a noun phrase (vind) after the preposition av.
- Fordi det er vind uses fordi to introduce a subordinate clause (det er vind). The first focuses on the noun “wind” as a reason, the second spells out a full “it is windy” clause.
Why is kan placed before oppstå?
In Norwegian main clauses, the finite or modal verb (here kan) occupies the second position (after the subject en forsinkelse). The main verb (oppstå) remains in the infinitive and follows the modal.
Could I say En forsinkelse kan oppstå på grunn av vinden? How does that change the meaning?
Yes. Adding the definite form vinden (“the wind”) makes it clear you’re referring to a specific wind (for example, the wind at this airport right now), not wind in general.
Is oppstå a separable verb, and can I use other verbs here?
No, oppstå is an inseparable verb (“to arise/occur”). You could choose synonyms like skje (“happen”) for a more colloquial tone: En forsinkelse kan skje på grunn av vind, but oppstå is perfectly natural in formal or technical contexts.