Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Kan De låse opp bilen? Vesken min ligger i den. - Can you formal unlock the car? My bag is in it.

Because De is the formal singular pronoun for you in Norwegian, and it is traditionally capitalized to distinguish it from de meaning they. So De = formal you, de = they.

Do Norwegians actually use De in everyday speech?

Rarely. Modern Norwegian overwhelmingly uses du (informal you), even with strangers. De sounds old-fashioned or overly formal, and is mostly seen in very formal writing, official letters, or when addressing much older people in highly polite contexts.

If I want to be polite without sounding old-fashioned, what should I say?

Use du and soften with modal verbs or polite phrases:

Kan du låse opp bilen? (normal polite)
Kunne du låse opp bilen? (softer/more polite)
You can add vær så snill (please), but use it sparingly so it doesn’t sound pleading.

What are the forms of the formal pronoun?

Subject: De (Can De…)
Object: Dem (Jeg hjelper Dem.)
Possessive: Deres (Er dette Deres bil?) Again, these are rarely used in speech today.

Why låse opp and not just låse or åpne?

låse = to lock.
låse opp = to unlock.
åpne = to open (e.g., physically open a door). Here we’re asking someone to unlock the car, so låse opp is the right verb.

Where does the particle opp go with objects?

With a noun object: låse opp bilen is the default and most natural.
With a pronoun object: place the pronoun before the particle: låse den opp (not natural: låse opp den).

Is låse bilen opp also acceptable?

Yes, you’ll see and hear låse bilen opp, but låse opp bilen is more common and usually preferred in standard Bokmål. With a pronoun, stick to låse den opp.

Why is it bilen and not bilen din for your car?

Norwegian often uses the definite form without a possessive for things closely associated with the person (body parts, clothing, personal items, vehicles) when context makes ownership obvious. So låse opp bilen naturally implies your car in this context.

Then why do we say Vesken min instead of just Vesken?

Here the speaker wants to specify whose bag it is. Without prior context, vesken could be any bag. Vesken min makes it clear: my bag.

What’s the difference between vesken min and min veske?

Both are correct, but:

Postposed possessive (vesken min) is the neutral, most common choice.
Preposed possessive (min veske) adds emphasis on ownership (my bag, as opposed to someone else’s), or can sound a bit more formal/literary.

I’ve seen veska mi. Is that different from vesken min?

They mean the same. In Bokmål you can use common-gender forms (vesken min) or feminine forms (veska mi) for some nouns. veska mi is often more colloquial; vesken min feels slightly more formal. Both are correct.

Why use ligger instead of er in the second sentence?

Norwegian commonly uses “posture/location” verbs for where things are:

ligger (lie) for items lying/resting horizontally,
står (stand) for upright items,
sitter (sit) for things tucked in/fixed. You could say er i den, but ligger i den sounds more idiomatic for a bag in a car.

Why is it den and not det at the end?

Because bil is a common-gender noun (en bil → bilen). The corresponding third-person singular pronoun is den. Use det for neuter nouns (et hus → det).

Could I say inni den instead of i den?

Yes. i den = in it. inni den = inside it, with a bit more emphasis on being inside the interior.

How is the yes/no question formed in Kan De låse opp bilen??

Norwegian forms yes/no questions by placing the finite verb first, then the subject:

Kan du/De låse opp bilen? There’s no auxiliary like English “do.”

What would the imperative look like?

Lås opp bilen! (Unlock the car!) Add politeness with tone or phrases rather than changing the imperative form itself.