Breakdown of Pizza kan bli brent i ovnen.
i
in
kunne
can
pizzaen
the pizza
ovnen
the oven
bli brent
to get burned
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Questions & Answers about Pizza kan bli brent i ovnen.
Why is there no article before Pizza?
In Norwegian you often drop the article when making a general statement about something. Using Pizza in the indefinite singular here means “pizza in general,” not a specific pizza.
What does kan bli mean in this sentence?
kan is a modal verb meaning “can” or “may,” and bli means “become” or “get.” Together kan bli expresses that something is possible to become: “can get.”
Why is brent used instead of brenne?
brent is the past participle of brenne. In a passive construction you need the past participle form (brent) rather than the infinitive (brenne).
What kind of passive construction is kan bli brent?
This is a periphrastic passive with a modal verb. The pattern is:
- subject (Pizza)
- modal verb (kan)
- auxiliary bli
- past participle (brent)
It literally means “Pizza can be burnt.”
What’s the difference between blir brent and brennes?
Both express the present passive:
- blir brent uses bli
- past participle (periphrastic passive).
- brennes is the short -s passive.
They are largely interchangeable, though -s passives can sound more formal or literary.
Could you say Pizza kan brenne i ovnen instead of Pizza kan bli brent i ovnen?
Yes, but the meaning changes.
- kan brenne uses brenne intransitively (“the pizza itself starts to burn”).
- kan bli brent focuses on the result (“the pizza can end up burnt”).
Why is i ovnen at the end, and why use i?
Location phrases in Norwegian normally follow the verb or participle, so i ovnen comes last. You use i (“in”) because an oven is seen as an enclosed space.
Why is ovnen definite (the oven) rather than indefinite?
Using the definite form ovnen implies “the oven” you are talking about (for example your kitchen oven). If you said i en ovn, it would mean “in an oven” in general, without specifying which one.