Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Jeg vil leie bil i helgen. - I want to rent a car this weekend.

Here vil is the present tense of the modal verb å ville, meaning want, not a future marker. So Jeg vil leie bil translates as I want to rent a car, not I will rent a car.

How do you conjugate vil for different subjects?

vil remains the same for all persons in Norwegian:
• jeg vil
• du vil
• han/hun det vil
• vi vil
• dere vil
• de vil

Why is there no article before bil? Shouldn't it be en bil?

In Norwegian you can omit the indefinite article after verbs when speaking generally. Both forms are correct:
• leie bil (concise, very common)
• leie en bil (explicit about “a car”)

Could I also say Jeg vil leie en bil i helgen?

Yes. Adding en before bil doesn’t change the meaning; it still means I want to rent a car this weekend. Including en simply makes the noun explicitly singular.

What are other ways to say this weekend besides i helgen?

• denne helgen – literally this weekend; interchangeable with i helgen.
• til helgen – this coming weekend.
Note that om helgen means on weekends (habitual action), not specifically the upcoming weekend.

What tense and structure are in vil leie?

vil is the present indicative of å ville (to want), and leie is an infinitive verb. Together they form a present‐tense modal construction meaning want to rent. Norwegian often uses the present tense plus a time expression (here i helgen) instead of a separate future tense.

How do you pronounce leie and helgen?

• leie ≈ LAY-yeh (IPA [ˈlɑɪ̯ə]) – the ei sounds like English ay.
• helgen ≈ HEL-ghen (IPA [ˈhɛlɡən]) – the g is hard, like in go.

What is the difference between vil leie and skal leie?

• Jeg vil leie expresses a desire: I want to rent.
• Jeg skal leie expresses a plan or a scheduled action: I am going to rent (or I shall rent).
Use skal when you talk about a firm plan or obligation for the future.