Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Flyturen vår til Bergen kan bli kansellert hvis det kommer et varsel om storm. - Our flight to Bergen can be cancelled if a warning about a storm comes.

Flyturen vår uses the structure “noun + possessive,” literally “the flight our,” emphasizing the specific flight we have booked.
Vår flytur places the possessive before the noun, literally “our flight,” which is equally natural and focuses on our ownership of the trip.
Nuance is slight: English speakers might choose one or the other for rhythm or emphasis, but in Norwegian both word orders are perfectly common.

What is the structure kan bli kansellert, and why not just kanselleres?

kan bli kansellert is a periphrastic (multi-word) passive:

kan (can/may) – modal verb expressing possibility
bli (to become) – passive auxiliary
kansellert (cancelled) – past participle

This construction highlights the possibility of an action happening to the subject (“our flight can become cancelled”).
In contrast, kanselleres is the s-passive (morphological passive) formed by adding -es to the verb stem. Both are correct, but bli + past participle often feels more dynamic or concrete, while -es passives can be slightly more formal or abstract.

Can I use kan kanselleres instead of kan bli kansellert? Is there any difference?

Yes.

Kan kanselleres = “can be cancelled” using the s-passive.
Kan bli kansellert = “can become cancelled” using the bli-passive.
Both convey the same basic meaning. The choice is stylistic: s-passive is shorter and a bit more formal, while bli + participle often sounds more conversational.

Why do we use det in hvis det kommer et varsel om storm?

Norwegian needs a subject in most clauses. Here det is a dummy (impersonal) subject, similar to English “it” in “if it comes.”

hvis = if
det = impersonal “it”
kommer = comes/arrives

Without det, the clause would be ungrammatical: you can’t say hvis kommer et varsel… The det fills the subject slot.

What does hvis do here? Could I use når instead?

hvis means “if”, introducing a condition that may or may not happen.
når means “when”, implying that the event will happen at some point.

Since a storm warning is only a possibility, you use hvis. If you were certain a warning is coming, you’d say når det kommer et varsel om storm (“when a storm warning comes”).

Why is there et in et varsel? What gender is varsel?

varsel is a neuter noun in Norwegian.

Neuter singular indefinite uses the article et: et varsel.
If it were a common-gender noun, you’d use en (e.g. en tur). Always match the article to the noun’s gender.

Why do we say varsel om storm rather than varsel for storm, like English “warning for storm”?

In Norwegian, the preposition om is used to mean “about” or “concerning.”

varsel om storm = “warning about a storm.”
Using for here (varsel for storm) would be unidiomatic in Norwegian.

Could we use stormvarsel instead of varsel om storm? Would that sound natural?

Absolutely. stormvarsel is a compound noun meaning “storm warning.”
You could say:
Flyturen vår til Bergen kan bli kansellert hvis det kommer stormvarsel.
Both versions are correct; the compound is simply more concise.

How does the word order work in the subordinate clause hvis det kommer et varsel om storm? I noticed there was no inversion after hvis.

Subordinate clauses in Norwegian (introduced by conjunctions like hvis, fordi, at, etc.) follow the pattern:
Conjunction + Subject + Verb + …
Here:
hvis (conj) + det (subject) + kommer (verb) + et varsel om storm (rest of clause)
No inversion occurs, unlike main clauses where certain adverbials can trigger verb-first order.

Is it okay to start the sentence with the hvis clause? How would the word order change?

Yes, you can front the condition:
Hvis det kommer et varsel om storm, kan flyturen vår til Bergen bli kansellert.
Because it’s a subordinate clause, you still use Conjunction + Subject + Verb (no inversion). The main clause kan flyturen vår … remains in normal V2 order.