Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Hun spør om jeg kan forklare hva tidsfristen egentlig betyr. - She asks whether I can explain what the deadline actually means.

hvis = if in the conditional sense (“if X happens, then …”), not in the sense of “whether”.
- Hvis jeg kan forklare det, gjør jeg det = If I can explain it, I’ll do it.

So:
✅ Hun spør om jeg kan forklare …
❌ Hun spør at jeg kan forklare …
❌ Hun spør hvis jeg kan forklare …

Why is the word order jeg kan forklare and not kan jeg forklare after om?

Norwegian has different word order in:

Main yes/no questions (direct questions)
- Kan jeg forklare …? = Can I explain …?
  Verb comes before the subject (V–S): kan jeg.
Subordinate clauses (including indirect questions)
- om jeg kan forklare … = whether I can explain…
  Subject comes before the verb (S–V): jeg kan.

Since om jeg kan forklare … is a subordinate clause (it depends on Hun spør), it uses jeg kan, not kan jeg.

Compare:

Hun spør: "Kan jeg forklare hva tidsfristen egentlig betyr?"
(direct question, main clause → kan jeg)
Hun spør om jeg kan forklare hva tidsfristen egentlig betyr.
(indirect question, subordinate clause → jeg kan)

What exactly does egentlig mean here, and what nuance does it add?

egentlig most often means actually / really / in fact. It adds a nuance of clarification or going beyond the surface meaning.

In this sentence:

… forklare hva tidsfristen egentlig betyr.
≈ … explain what the deadline actually really means.

Nuances it can give:

She wants the true or real meaning, not just a rough idea.
She may be unsure or suspicious that the usual understanding is incomplete.
It sounds a bit softer or more exploratory than a blunt “what the deadline means”.

Without egentlig:

… hva tidsfristen betyr = plain what the deadline means.

With egentlig:

… hva tidsfristen egentlig betyr = what the deadline really / actually means (possibly correcting or clarifying some assumption).

Why is tidsfristen in the definite form (with -en)?

tidsfrist = deadline (indefinite)
tidsfristen = the deadline (definite)

Norwegian normally uses the definite form when:

The thing is already known from context, shared knowledge, or previous mention.
Both speaker and listener can identify which specific thing is meant.

So tidsfristen suggests a specific, known deadline:
“the deadline we’ve been talking about / that’s on this project / in this document”.

If you said en tidsfrist:

… hva en tidsfrist egentlig betyr = what a deadline really means
That sounds like you’re explaining the concept of deadlines in general, not one particular deadline.

Could the word order be hva egentlig tidsfristen betyr instead of hva tidsfristen egentlig betyr?

Grammatically, hva egentlig tidsfristen betyr can be understood, but the natural and most common word order is:

hva tidsfristen egentlig betyr

Placement rules (simplified):

hva = interrogative word, comes first in this clause.
tidsfristen = subject of betyr.
egentlig = a kind of adverb, typically goes in the “middle field,” after the subject.

So:

✅ hva tidsfristen egentlig betyr (very natural)
❓ hva egentlig tidsfristen betyr (sounds marked / slightly unusual in everyday speech)

What is the function of kan in jeg kan forklare? Could I leave it out?

kan is the modal verb can, expressing ability or possibility:

jeg kan forklare = I can explain / I am able to explain

If you remove kan, you get:

jeg forklarer hva tidsfristen egentlig betyr = I explain what the deadline really means (a simple present statement about what I do)

That would change the meaning of the whole sentence:

Hun spør om jeg kan forklare …
= She asks whether I can explain … (Can I? Am I able / willing?)
Hun spør om jeg forklarer …
sounds strange here; it would be more like “She asks whether I explain …” (as a repeated or usual action), which doesn’t fit this context well.

So kan is necessary to keep the original meaning.

Why is there no å before forklare after kan?

In Norwegian, the infinitive marker å is not used after modal verbs like:

kan (can)
skal (shall / will)
vil (want to / will)
må (must / have to)
bør (should)
får (get to / may)

So you say:

Jeg kan forklare. (not kan å forklare)
Hun vil lære. (not vil å lære)
Vi må gå. (not må å gå)

You do use å after many other verbs:

Jeg liker å forklare ting. = I like to explain things.
Hun prøver å forstå. = She tries to understand.

Why is betyr in the present tense? In English we often say “what it actually meant” or “what it actually means” depending on context.

Norwegian uses present tense here for a general, timeless meaning:

hva tidsfristen egentlig betyr = what the deadline actually means

Even if the deadline is in the past, the meaning or definition is still understood in the present as a general fact.

You could say betydde (past) in Norwegian, but that would emphasize a meaning that applied at some past time and might have changed, which is unusual here. So:

✅ hva tidsfristen egentlig betyr = natural, general meaning
❓ hva tidsfristen egentlig betydde = “what it really meant (back then)” – special, past-focused context

What is the difference between Hun spør om … and Hun lurer på om … in this kind of sentence?

Both can introduce an indirect question, but they differ slightly in nuance:

Hun spør om jeg kan forklare …
= She asks whether I can explain …
Focus on the act of asking (direct question to someone).
Hun lurer på om jeg kan forklare …
= She wonders whether I can explain …
Focus on her wondering / being curious, maybe just in her own mind or indirectly.

In everyday use:

If she literally directs a question to you, Hun spør om … fits best.
If you want to describe her internal curiosity, Hun lurer på om … is more natural.

What is the role of hva in hva tidsfristen egentlig betyr?

hva is an interrogative pronoun meaning what. It introduces an indirect question about content:

hva tidsfristen egentlig betyr = what the deadline actually means

In direct questions:

Hva betyr tidsfristen egentlig? = What does the deadline actually mean?

In indirect questions (embedded in another clause):

… forklare hva tidsfristen egentlig betyr.
= … explain what the deadline actually means.

So hva marks “the thing that is being asked/explained”.

Could this sentence be turned into direct speech, and how would the word order change?

Yes. Direct speech would be:

Hun spør: "Kan du forklare hva tidsfristen egentlig betyr?"

Changes:

Subject and person:
- Original: jeg = I (because it’s reported from the speaker’s perspective)
- Direct speech to you: du = you
Word order in the question:
- Indirect (subordinate): om jeg kan forklare … (S–V)
- Direct yes/no question: Kan du forklare …? (V–S)

So:

Hun spør om jeg kan forklare hva tidsfristen egentlig betyr.
→ She asks whether I can explain what the deadline actually means.
Hun spør: "Kan du forklare hva tidsfristen egentlig betyr?"
→ She asks: “Can you explain what the deadline actually means?”

What does tidsfrist literally consist of, and is it a common compound pattern?

tidsfrist is a compound noun:

tid = time
frist = (set) limit / deadline

So literally, tidsfrist is a time limit, which in normal usage corresponds to deadline.

Norwegian very often forms compounds like this:

arbeidsplass (arbeid + plass) = workplace
innleveringsfrist (innlevering + frist) = submission deadline

So seeing tidsfrist as tid + frist can help you remember its meaning.