Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Kan du hente vesken min fra bilen?

In Norwegian, when you use a modal verb like kan, the main verb that follows stays in its bare infinitive form (without å). So you say kan hente, not kan å hente. This is just like in English where we say “can go,” never “can to go.”

Why do we use kan du here instead of vil du?

Both kan du (“can you”) and vil du (“will you”) can form polite requests, but they carry slightly different shades of meaning:

Kan du focuses on ability or possibility, similar to “could you” in English.
Vil du focuses on willingness or intention, closer to “will you.”
Many Norwegians prefer kan du for a softer, more indirect request.

How do you form a yes/no question like this in Norwegian?

Norwegian yes/no questions use verb–subject inversion:

Start with the finite verb (kan).
Then the subject (du).
Follow with the rest of the sentence.
So “You can fetch…” (statement) becomes “Can you fetch…” (question) → Kan du hente…?

What does hente mean exactly? How is it different from ta?

hente means “to fetch,” “to go and get something and bring it.”

You go to where the item is, pick it up, and bring it back.
ta simply means “to take.” You might ta something that’s already in your hand or right in front of you, without the notion of fetching it from somewhere else.

Why is vesken used instead of veske?

vesken is the definite form of veske (“bag”). In English we often say “my bag” with “bag” already understood as specific. In Norwegian you show definiteness by adding -en:
veske → vesken = the bag

Why is the possessive min placed after vesken instead of before?

In Norwegian, when a noun is in its definite form (here vesken), the possessive pronoun is typically added after the noun as an enclitic:
• vesken min (the bag, my)
If the noun were indefinite, you’d say min veske (my bag) with min before it.

Could you say min veske instead of vesken min here?

Yes, min veske is grammatically correct, but:

min veske is indefinite (“my bag,” introducing it for the first time).
vesken min is more common when both speaker and listener know which bag is meant (definite context).

Why is fra used here? Could we use i or another preposition?

fra means “from,” indicating origin: you take something out of the car.
i means “in” (“inside the car”), so hente vesken min i bilen also works and means “get my bag that’s in the car,” but it doesn’t emphasize removal as strongly as fra.
av is rarely used in this context.

Why is bilen used instead of bil?

Similar to vesken, bilen is the definite form of bil (“car”). Since we’re talking about a specific car (where your bag is), you say bilen (“the car”) by adding -en.

How would I ask more than one person, or address someone formally?

To ask multiple people, use kan dere hente… (dere = you plural).
For very formal singular (old-fashioned), use kan De hente… with a capital D (rare in modern Norwegian).