Hun har råd til en ny jakke.

She can afford a new jacket.

Breakdown of Hun har råd til en ny jakke.

• hun: she
• en: a
• ny: new
• jakken: the jacket
• ha råd til: to afford

Questions & Answers about Hun har råd til en ny jakke.

What does the phrase har råd til mean literally, and how is it used?

It literally means “has means/money for” and is the standard way to say “can afford.”

• With a noun: har råd til + noun (e.g., a jacket).
• With a verb: har råd til å + infinitive (e.g., to buy a jacket).

Why is it har and not kan even though English says “can afford”?

Norwegian uses the verb ha (“to have”) in the fixed expression ha råd til. The modal kan expresses ability/possibility in general. Compare:

• Hun kan kjøpe ... = She is able/allowed to buy (not necessarily about money).
• Hun har råd til ... = She has the financial means.

Does råd also mean “advice”? Is that the same word?

Yes. Råd can mean “advice” (et råd, “a piece of advice”) or “council.” In the fixed phrase ha råd til, it means “means/money,” not “advice.” The meaning is determined by the construction.

Why the preposition til? Could I use for instead?

No. The construction is fixed: ha råd til. You also say penger til (“money for”). For is not used here.

How do I negate this?

Place ikke after the verb in a main clause:

• Hun har ikke råd til ... For a yes/no negative question with emphasis, you can say:
• Har hun ikke råd til ...?

How do I turn it into a yes/no question?

Invert subject and verb:

• Har hun råd til ...?

Why is it en ny jakke? What gender is jakke?

In Bokmål, jakke is typically treated as masculine/common gender, so the default article is en: en jakke. Many speakers also allow the feminine: ei jakke (definite: jakka). Masculine definite is jakken.

How would I say “the new jacket” here?

Use the definite form with the demonstrative:

• den nye jakken (standard Bokmål)
• Some use feminine: den nye jakka Example: Hun har råd til den nye jakken.

How does the adjective ny inflect?

• Singular indefinite common gender: ny (en/ei ny jakke)
• Singular indefinite neuter: nytt (et nytt skjerf)
• All plural and all definite forms: nye (nye jakker; den nye jakken)

How do I talk about past or future affordability?

• Past: Hun hadde råd til ... (“had”)
• Future: Hun kommer til å ha råd til ... / Hun vil ha råd til ... Note: vil can also mean “wants,” so kommer til å ha is often clearer.

Are there natural alternatives to say the same thing?

Yes:

• Hun har penger til en ny jakke.
• Hun har nok penger til å kjøpe en ny jakke.
• Hun har råd til å kjøpe en ny jakke. Don’t say ha råd med in Norwegian (that’s Swedish); use ha råd til.

Can I drop the article and say Hun har råd til ny jakke?

Not in normal speech/writing. With a countable singular noun after har råd til, you normally keep the article: en ny jakke. Dropping it can appear in headlines/ads (“Råd til ny jakke?”) but sounds telegraphic.

How do I replace the noun with a pronoun?

Use a gender-matching pronoun after til:

• Har hun råd til den? (“that one,” common gender, referring to a jacket)
• Har hun råd til den nye? (“the new one”)

What about dialect/Nynorsk differences for the pronoun and noun?

Bokmål uses hun; many dialects and Nynorsk use ho. In Nynorsk/feminine speech patterns you’ll often see ei/-a forms:

• Ho har råd til ei ny jakke.
• Ho har råd til den nye jakka.

Any quick pronunciation tips?

• Hun: initial h is pronounced; u is rounded.
• har: a as in “father.”
• råd: long å (similar to the vowel in “law” but more rounded/closed). The final d is pronounced in many dialects but may be weak or dropped in some.
• til: clear “teel.”
• jakke: j = English y, double kk gives a short vowel: roughly “YAH-keh.”