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Kan vi stille spørsmål nå?

Kan vi stille spørsmål nå?
Can we ask questions now?
FromLesson 35inHardcore Norwegian
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Breakdown of Kan vi stille spørsmål nå?

vi
we
nå
now
kunne
can
stille spørsmål
to ask questions

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?
Yes: Kan vi spørre nå? is grammatical, but it often implies “ask whom/about what?” If you mean “ask questions,” stille spørsmål is the idiomatic choice. Use spørre when you name a person or a topic: Kan vi spørre læreren nå? / Kan vi spørre om eksamen nå?
Why isn’t spørsmål marked as plural here?

Spørsmål is a neuter noun whose singular and plural look the same. Forms:

  • Indefinite singular: et spørsmål
  • Indefinite plural: spørsmål
  • Definite singular: spørsmålet
  • Definite plural: spørsmålene
    In the fixed expression stille spørsmål, it often means “ask questions” in general.
How do I say “a question” vs “the question(s)” with this verb?
  • “a question”: stille et spørsmål
  • “the question”: stille spørsmålet
  • “the questions”: stille spørsmålene
Is vi correct here, or should it be oss?
Use vi (we) as the subject. Oss (us) is the object form and isn’t used as a subject in standard Bokmål. Example: Han spurte oss. = “He asked us.”
Where does nå go? Can it go earlier in the sentence?

Default in this question is at the end: Kan vi stille spørsmål nå?
Other options:

  • Kan vi nå stille spørsmål? is possible but a bit formal/emphatic (“at this point, can we…?”).
  • Nå kan vi stille spørsmål. is a statement, not a question.
How can I make the request more polite?

Softer variants include:

  • Kunne vi stille spørsmål nå? (“Could we…?”)
  • Er det greit om vi stiller spørsmål nå? (“Is it OK if we…?”)
    You can add vær så snill for extra politeness in speech, but avoid overusing vennligst (it’s common on signs/announcements).
What’s the difference between Kan vi… and Får vi…?
  • Kan vi…? is neutral “can/may.”
  • Får vi…? emphasizes permission from an authority: “Are we allowed to…?”
    Example: Får vi stille spørsmål nå, lærer? explicitly asks for permission.
How do I negate this?

Two common options:

  • Neutral: Kan vi ikke stille spørsmål nå? (“Can’t we ask questions now?”)
  • Emphasis on “we”: Kan ikke vi stille spørsmål nå? (“Can’t we—rather than others—ask now?”)
What does stille mean here? Isn’t stille “quiet”?
Here stille is a verb meaning “to pose/put (a question).” As an adjective, stille means “quiet/calm.” They’re different words with the same spelling.
Pronunciation tips (and typing the special letters)

Approximate (East Norwegian):

  • Kan [kahn]; vi [vee]; stille [STILL-eh] with a long L.
  • spørsmål ≈ becomes a retroflex “sh,” ø is like French “eu,” å is a long “oh.”
  • nå [noh] with long å.

Typing å, ø, æ:

  • Mobile: long-press a/o/a to get å/ø/æ.
  • Computer: add a Norwegian keyboard layout, or on Windows use Alt codes with the numeric keypad: å = Alt+0229, ø = Alt+0248, æ = Alt+0230.
Is this Bokmål or Nynorsk? What’s the Nynorsk version?
It’s Bokmål. A common Nynorsk version is Kan vi stille spørsmål no? (Nynorsk uses no for “now.” Some Nynorsk writers also use an -a infinitive consistently, e.g., stilla.)
What’s the difference between stille spørsmål and stille spørsmål ved (noe)?
  • stille spørsmål = “to ask/pose question(s).”
  • stille spørsmål ved noe = “to question/doubt something.”
    Example: Han stilte spørsmål ved resultatene. = “He questioned the results.”
How do you conjugate the verb stille?

stille (to pose) conjugates: present stiller, preterite stilte, perfect har stilt.
Examples:

  • Vi stiller spørsmål nå.
  • Vi stilte spørsmål i går.
  • Vi har stilt mange spørsmål.

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