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Questions & Answers about Vil du bli med oss i morgen?
What does vil mean here? Does it mean will like in English?
In this sentence vil expresses desire/willingness, so it’s closer to want to or would you like to. Norwegian doesn’t use vil to form a neutral future like English does. For future meaning you typically use skal (plans/arrangements) or kommer til å (prediction).
Why is there no å before bli?
Modal verbs (like vil, skal, kan, må, bør) take a bare infinitive, so you say vil bli, not vil å bli. Examples: kan komme, må dra, skal spise.
What does bli med mean compared to bli on its own?
- bli med is an idiom meaning come along / join: bli med oss = join us.
- bli alone means become or stay/remain: bli lege (become a doctor), bli hos oss (stay with us). The med is essential for the “join” meaning.
Why is it oss and not vi?
Vi is the subject form (we); oss is the object form (us). After bli med, the group you’re joining is an object, so it’s bli med oss, not bli med vi.
Is the word order Vil du ...? the normal way to ask yes/no questions?
Yes. In yes/no questions, the finite verb comes first (inversion): Vil du bli med ...? You can also ask colloquially with rising intonation on a statement: Du vil bli med oss i morgen?, but the inverted form is the neutral standard.
Can I say Vil du være med oss i morgen? instead?
Yes. Være med also means join / take part. Bli med and være med overlap a lot; være med can sound a touch more about participation, but both are fine here.
How do I make it more polite/softer, like Would you like to join us tomorrow?
Common softer options:
- Har du lyst til å bli med oss i morgen? (Do you feel like joining us?)
- Kunne du tenke deg å bli med oss i morgen? (Could you see yourself joining us?)
- Har du anledning til å bli med oss i morgen? (Do you have the possibility to…?) You may also hear Ville du bli med oss i morgen? as a tentative “would you,” but the lyst/tenke deg options are more idiomatic.
How would I answer naturally?
- Accepting: Ja, gjerne! / Ja, det vil jeg. / Klart det!
- Declining: Nei, dessverre. / Jeg kan ikke i morgen. / Takk, men jeg er opptatt. Note: jo is used to contradict a negative question/statement, so it’s not needed here unless the question is negative (see below).
What’s the difference between i morgen and words for morning?
- i morgen = tomorrow (the day after today).
- i morgen tidlig = tomorrow morning (early).
- om morgenen = in the mornings / in the morning (habitual). So i morgen alone does not mean “in the morning.”
Is imorgen one word?
No. In standard Bokmål it’s two words: i morgen. In Nynorsk it’s i morgon. Informally in speech you’ll hear i morra, but that spelling is colloquial.
Any quick pronunciation tips?
- vil du: say “vil du” (roughly “vil doo”); the d in du is clear.
- bli med: often “bli me” in casual speech; before a vowel it links: med oss sounds like “me-d oss.”
- oss: often pronounced like “åss.”
- i morgen: common pronunciations are two-syllable “i MOR-gen” or reduced “i MÅRN.” Both are heard. Don’t worry about dialect variation; all are widely understood.
Can I drop oss and just say Vil du bli med i morgen?
Yes, if context makes it clear who you’d be joining. Bli med needs either an implied group or an explicit one (oss/dem/ham), or an activity with på (see next).
When do I use på with bli med?
Use bli med på before an activity/event: bli med på kino (join [us] for the movies), bli med på tur (join a trip). You can combine both:
- Bli med oss på kino i morgen? (Join us for the movies tomorrow?)
How would I ask a group instead of one person?
Change the subject pronoun to plural dere: Vil dere bli med oss i morgen? The object oss stays the same.
Is this sentence Bokmål or Nynorsk?
It’s Bokmål (i morgen). The closest Nynorsk version is Vil du bli med oss i morgon? Both bli med and vere/være med are used; some dialects also use verte med.
Could I use skal here, as in plans?
Yes, but it changes the nuance:
- Vil du bli med oss i morgen? asks about willingness.
- Skal du være/bli med oss i morgen? asks whether it’s part of your plan (often when an invitation has already been discussed).
How do I make the question negative, and what changes in the answers?
Negative: Vil du ikke bli med oss i morgen? (Don’t you want to join us tomorrow?) This can imply mild surprise or encouragement. A positive reply often starts with Jo (to contradict the negative): Jo, det vil jeg!