Questions & Answers about Kan du si det en gang til?
What is the literal translation of Kan du si det en gang til??
- kan = can (modal verb)
- du = you
- si = say (infinitive; after modal verbs like kan, Norwegian keeps the main verb in the infinitive)
- det = it/that (neuter pronoun)
- en = one/a
- gang = time/occasion
- til = to/more
Word-for-word this is Can you say it one time more – naturally rendered in English as Can you say that one more time?
Why is si not conjugated like sier?
In Norwegian, after a modal verb (such as kan, må, vil), the next verb remains in the infinitive. So you say kan si, not kan sier. If there’s no modal, you conjugate in the present tense (e.g. Du sier det = You say it).
What does en gang til mean, and can I use something else to say again?
- en gang literally means a time/once
- til adds the notion of more or again
So en gang til means one more time or again. You can also simply use igjen to say again. For example: Kan du si det igjen – Can you say that again.