Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Værvarselet lover sol, men det kan muligens komme torden i ettermiddag. - The weather forecast promises sun, but thunder might possibly come this afternoon.

Værvarsel means weather forecast. In Norwegian, when you refer to a specific forecast (for example the official one or the one just mentioned), you use the definite form by adding -et. Hence værvarselet = the weather forecast.

Why does the verb lover here mean predicts instead of loves?

Norwegian å love primarily means to promise or to guarantee. When a weather forecast is the subject, lover sol literally means promises sun, which in English we naturally render as predicts sunshine.

Why is there an expletive det before kan muligens komme?

Norwegian (like English) often uses a dummy subject det (“it”) in impersonal or weather constructions. You need det to fill the subject slot:
• det kan muligens komme torden = it may possibly be thunder.

How do you translate kan muligens komme, and why is muligens placed after kan?

Word for word it’s:
• kan = can/may (modal verb)
• muligens = possibly
• komme = come

Together kan muligens komme = may possibly come or might come. In Norwegian main clauses the finite verb (kan) must occupy the second position, and most adverbs (like muligens) follow immediately after that verb.

What’s the difference between muligens and kanskje?

Both mean perhaps/maybe, but:
• muligens is slightly more formal or literary.
• kanskje is more common in everyday spoken Norwegian.
Also, kanskje can appear at the very start of a clause, while muligens typically follows the verb.

Why is torden used without an article (no en or det)?

Torden (thunder) is an uncountable noun when you refer to the phenomenon in general. Uncountable nouns in Norwegian don’t take an indefinite article, so you say komme torden = (there may be) thunder, not a thunder.

Why is it i ettermiddag instead of på ettermiddagen?

Both are correct:
• i ettermiddag = this afternoon (precise reference to today)
• på ettermiddagen = in the afternoon (more general)
Using i ettermiddag signals you mean this afternoon specifically.

Can you use værmeldingen instead of værvarselet?

Yes. Værmelding and værvarsel are synonyms for weather forecast. You can say værmeldingen in everyday speech; værvarselet appears more often in formal or written contexts.