Breakdown of Vi kan unngå køen hvis vi reiser om morgenen.
vi
we
reise
to travel
kunne
can
morgenen
the morning
hvis
if
om
in
køen
the queue
unngå
to avoid
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Questions & Answers about Vi kan unngå køen hvis vi reiser om morgenen.
What does unngå mean in this sentence?
Unngå is a verb meaning “to avoid” or “to escape from” something. Here it conveys that “we can avoid the queue.”
Why is køen in the definite form (with -en)?
In Norwegian you use the definite form when you speak about a specific thing both speaker and listener know about. Køen (“the queue”) implies there is one particular line you’re referring to, not just any queue.
Why does the sentence use om morgenen instead of på morgenen?
In Norwegian time-of-day expressions you normally use om with morning, afternoon, evening and night. So om morgenen means “in the morning.” You would say på formiddagen or på ettermiddagen for “in the late morning/afternoon,” but not for morgen.
Why is the present tense reiser used to talk about a future trip?
Norwegian often uses the present tense to refer to planned or certain future events. Context and time expressions (here om morgenen) make it clear you speak about tomorrow or some future journey, so you don’t need a separate future tense.
What’s the difference between hvis and når in conditional clauses?
Hvis means “if” and implies a hypothetical condition. Når means “when” and suggests certainty that the event will happen. Here you’re not 100% sure you’ll travel in the morning, so you use hvis.
Can you omit the second vi before reiser?
No. Norwegian requires a subject in each clause. Even though English sometimes drops the second “we,” Norwegian keeps vi in both the main clause (Vi kan…) and the subordinate clause (hvis vi reiser…).
How does word order change if I start the sentence with the hvis-clause?
If you begin with the subordinate clause, the verb must come second (inversion).
Example:
Hvis vi reiser om morgenen, kan vi unngå køen.
Here kan follows the comma, because Norwegian inverts subject and verb when a subordinate clause precedes the main clause.
Are there any synonyms for unngå I could use?
Yes, you might also hear skåne in certain contexts (“to spare”/“to shield from”), but it’s less common for queues. More often you stick with unngå, or use phrases like snikke forbi køen (“to sneak past the queue”) informally.