Breakdown of Regnet kan ødelegge planene våre.
kunne
can
vår
our
planen
the plan
regnet
the rain
ødelegge
to ruin
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Questions & Answers about Regnet kan ødelegge planene våre.
Why is Regnet used here rather than the impersonal Det regner?
Regnet is the noun “the rain” acting as the subject of the sentence. Det regner is an impersonal weather expression meaning “it is raining.” If you said Det regner kan ødelegge planene våre, it wouldn’t make sense—Det regner can’t combine with kan ødelegge. Instead you use the noun regnet (“the rain”) so you can say Regnet kan ødelegge planene våre (“The rain can ruin our plans”).
What does the -et ending in Regnet indicate?
In Bokmål, a neuter noun in definite singular takes the suffix -et. The base form is regn (indefinite), so regn → regnet marks both “definite” and “neuter”: the rain.
Why is there no å before ødelegge?
When you use a modal verb like kan, the following verb appears in the bare infinitive (without å). So you have kan ødelegge just as in English you say “can ruin,” not “can to ruin.”
Why is the finite verb kan in second position, not ødelegge?
Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb (here kan) must occupy the second position. Ødelegge is a non-finite infinitive and therefore comes after the object.
Why does planene end in -ene?
Planene is the definite plural of en plan (“a plan”). The plural indefinite is planer, and you add -ene to make it definite plural: planene (“the plans”).
Why is våre placed after planene rather than before?
With a definite noun (marked by the suffix -ene), the possessive pronoun is enclitic—it comes after the noun. Hence planene våre = “our plans.” If it were indefinite you’d say våre planer (“our plans” in general), but that has a slightly different nuance (no specific plans in mind).
What nuance does adding or omitting kan give?
- Regnet kan ødelegge planene våre = “The rain can/might ruin our plans” (possibility).
- Regnet ødelegger planene våre = “The rain is ruining our plans” or “The rain ruins our plans” (stating it as fact/right now).
How do you pronounce ødelegge?
- The ø is similar to the vowel in English “bird” (without the r).
- dele sounds like “duh-leh,”
- the double gg is a soft /g/,
- and the final -e is a quick schwa /ə/.
Rough phonetic: [ˈøːdəlegə].