Questions & Answers about Kan vi stille spørsmål nå?
In this context, does kan mean ability or permission?
Here it expresses permission/politeness: the sentence is best understood as “May we ask questions now?” In other contexts, kan can mean ability (e.g., Vi kan svømme = We can swim).
How is the yes/no question formed in this sentence?
Put the finite verb first (here the modal kan), the subject second (vi), and the main verb third (stille), followed by object/adverbials: Kan + vi + stille + spørsmål + nå.
The declarative counterpart is: Vi kan stille spørsmål nå.
Why stille spørsmål and not spørre et spørsmål?
Norwegian uses the collocation stille (et) spørsmål (“pose a question”). The verb spørre means “to ask (someone),” so you don’t say spørre et spørsmål. Correct patterns:
- stille et spørsmål / stille spørsmål
- spørre noen (om noe), e.g., spørre læreren om leksene (“ask the teacher about the homework”)
Can I use spørre in a similar sentence?