Bilen skal bli malt blå i helgen.

The car will be painted blue this weekend.

Breakdown of Bilen skal bli malt blå i helgen.

• bilen: the car
• skal: shall
• i: on
• helgen: the weekend

Questions & Answers about Bilen skal bli malt blå i helgen.

What is the function of skal bli in Bilen skal bli malt blå i helgen?

skal expresses a future action (“will”) and bli + past participle forms the passive voice. Together, skal bli malt literally means “will be painted.”

Why do we use bli here instead of være to form the passive?

In Norwegian, the passive can be made with bli + past participle or with the -s passive on the verb. være + past participle (e.g. er malt) describes a state (“is painted”), while bli emphasises the action or process of becoming painted.

Could we instead say Bilen skal males blå i helgen? How does that differ?

Yes. males is the -s passive form of male. It’s more compact and common in written Norwegian. The bli-passive (bli malt) often highlights the process or change. In most contexts, both versions are correct and interchangeable, with only a slight nuance in emphasis.

Why is the verb form malt and not malet or malte?