Questions & Answers about Kan du forklare det detaljert?
Why is the verb forklare in its infinitive form? Shouldn't it agree with du?
In Norwegian, modal verbs such as kan, vil, må or skal are always followed by a second verb in the infinitive without å. Here kan is the modal, so you use forklare (to explain), even though the subject is du.
What’s the difference between using kan du and kunne du in a request?
• Kan du literally asks “are you able to…?” and is neutral in politeness.
• Kunne du is the past tense (subjunctive/conditional) form and sounds more courteous or tentative in a request, similar to “could you…?” in English.
Is detaljert here an adjective or an adverb? It looks like an adjective.
Detaljert is originally an adjective (“detailed”), but in Norwegian many adjectives double as adverbs without change. So forklare det detaljert literally means “explain it detailed,” i.e. “explain it in detail.”
Could I also say Kan du forklare det i detalj?
Yes. i detalj is a prepositional phrase meaning “in detail.” Both forklare det detaljert and forklare det i detalj are correct and interchangeable.
Why do I need the object det? Can I omit it and say ?