Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Vi har en avtale i morgen, og jeg vil ikke avbryte deg. - We have an appointment tomorrow, and I do not want to interrupt you.

In this sentence jeg vil ikke avbryte deg most naturally means “I don’t want to interrupt you.” Norwegian usually uses the present tense with a time word for the future, or uses other verbs to make a promise:

Intention/promise: Jeg skal ikke avbryte deg.
Prediction: Jeg kommer ikke til å avbryte deg. Note: vil ikke can also mean “refuses to” (e.g., “It won’t start” = Den vil ikke starte).

Why is there no å before avbryte?

Because vil is a modal verb. After modals (vil, skal, kan, må, bør, tør), you use the bare infinitive without å:

Correct: Jeg vil ikke avbryte deg.
Incorrect: Jeg vil ikke å avbryte deg. With non-modals you use å: Jeg lover å ikke avbryte deg.

Where does ikke go in the clause?

In main clauses the finite verb is in 2nd position (V2). Ikke comes after the finite verb and before the infinitive:

Neutral: Jeg vil ikke avbryte deg.
With fronted time: I morgen vil jeg ikke avbryte deg. Avoid: “Jeg vil avbryte deg ikke.”

Does avbryte mean “cancel”?

No. Avbryte = “interrupt” (stop someone in the middle of speaking or an ongoing activity). For “cancel,” use:

avlyse (an event/meeting): Vi må avlyse avtalen.
avbestille (a booking/reservation): Jeg vil avbestille timen.
kansellere is also used (loanword). For “disturb,” use forstyrre: Jeg vil ikke forstyrre deg.

Why is it deg and not du?

Du is the subject form (“you” as subject). Deg is the object form (“you” as object).

Subject: Du snakker.
Object: Jeg avbryter deg. Plural “you” is dere (both subject and object). Formal De/Dem exists but is rare.

Is the comma before og required?

When og joins two independent main clauses (each with its own subject and verb), a comma before og is standard and helpful:

Vi har en avtale i morgen, og jeg vil ikke avbryte deg. If the second part shares the same subject and is short, you can often omit the comma.

Can I drop jeg after og?

Only if the subject stays the same. If you write Vi har en avtale i morgen og vil ikke avbryte deg, it will be read as “We have an appointment tomorrow and don’t want to interrupt you,” with vi as the subject of both verbs. To keep “I,” you must include jeg.

Why en avtale and not et avtale?

Avtale is common gender (traditionally masculine) in Bokmål, so the normal article is en: en avtale (definite: avtalen). Et avtale is incorrect. Some dialects and Bokmål variants use feminine articles more broadly, but en avtale is the standard.

Is har here just “have,” or is it a perfect tense?

It’s the simple present of å ha (“to have”): Vi har en avtale = “We have an appointment.” The present perfect needs har + past participle (e.g., har gjort), which is not the case here.

Can I write imorgen as one word?

No. In standard Bokmål it’s two words: i morgen. In Nynorsk it’s i morgon. Colloquial spelling like i morra reflects speech but is informal.

Can I front the time: I morgen har vi en avtale?

Yes. That’s natural and follows the V2 rule:

I morgen har vi en avtale, og jeg vil ikke avbryte deg. The finite verb (har) stays in second position after the fronted time phrase.

Any pronunciation tips for tricky words?

og: g is silent, like “oh.”
jeg: often “yai” [jæi]; deg: “dai” [dæi].
ikke: [ˈɪkːə].
avtale: stress on the first syllable: “AV-ta-le.”
avbryte: “AV-bry-te,” with long y [yː] in bry.
i morgen: commonly [i ˈmɔːɾən] or [i ˈmoːɾən]. Variants exist across dialects.

Is og the same word as å?

No. og = “and.” å = “to” (the infinitive marker). In this sentence you have og linking two clauses, and no å because vil is a modal.

What are the past forms of avbryte?

It’s irregular:

Infinitive: å avbryte
Preterite: avbrøt
Past participle: avbrutt Example: Han avbrøt møtet, Møtet ble avbrutt.

Is there a difference between vil and vill?

Yes. vil = “wants to/will.” vill = “wild” (an adjective). Don’t add the extra l in the verb.