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Kan du si hvor biblioteket er?

Kan du si hvor biblioteket er?
Can you tell me where the library is?
FromLesson 25inHardcore Norwegian
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Breakdown of Kan du si hvor biblioteket er?

være
to be
du
you
kunne
can
biblioteket
the library
si
to say
hvor
where
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Questions & Answers about Kan du si hvor biblioteket er?

Why is the verb er at the end of the clause hvor biblioteket er rather than in second position, like in Hvor er biblioteket??
Because hvor biblioteket er is an embedded (indirect) question or subordinate clause. In Norwegian subordinate clauses the verb goes after the subject (no inversion). In direct questions you invert subject and verb, so Hvor er biblioteket? but …si hvor biblioteket er keeps the verb at the end.
Could we add meg (me) as in si meg hvor biblioteket er? What’s the difference?

Yes. If you want to explicitly say “tell me,” you can use:

  • Kan du si meg hvor biblioteket er? or
  • Kan du fortelle meg hvor biblioteket er?
    Norwegians often drop meg when it’s obvious who is asking, so Kan du si hvor biblioteket er? is perfectly natural.
What’s the difference between si and fortelle here?
  • si = “to say,” often for short messages or quotes.
  • fortelle = “to tell,” usually for longer explanations or stories.
    When asking for information, fortelle meg is very common (“tell me”), but si meg also works.
Why is biblioteket written with -et at the end?

Because Norwegian uses a suffix for the definite article.

  • et bibliotek = “a library”
  • biblioteket = “the library.”
Could we use ligger instead of er when asking for location?

Yes. Many Norwegians prefer ligge (“to lie/sit”) for physical locations:

  • Kan du si hvor biblioteket ligger?
    Using er (“is”) is also grammatically correct and understood, but ligger often feels more natural for buildings and places.
Why does the sentence start with Kan du instead of Vil du or Kunne du?
  • Kan du (“can you”) literally asks about ability but is a common polite way to make requests.
  • Kunne du (“could you”) is a bit more tentative/polite.
  • Vil du (“will you”) asks about willingness rather than ability and can sound more direct.
What’s the difference between the direct question Hvor er biblioteket? and the indirect one Kan du si hvor biblioteket er??
  • Hvor er biblioteket? is a direct question: verb–subject inversion (er–biblioteket).
  • …si hvor biblioteket er is an indirect question inside a larger sentence, so you use normal statement word order (biblioteket–er).