Vi handler økonomisk hver lørdag.

We shop economically every Saturday.

Breakdown of Vi handler økonomisk hver lørdag.

• vi: we
• hver: every
• handle: to shop
• lørdagen: the Saturday
• økonomisk: financial

Questions & Answers about Vi handler økonomisk hver lørdag.

What does handler mean here, and how is it different from kjøper?

In this sentence, handler (from å handle) means to shop / to do the shopping.

• å handle = to shop, to do the shopping (often for groceries or everyday things)
  • Vi handler hver lørdag. = We (do the) shopping every Saturday.
• å kjøpe = to buy (a specific thing)
  • Vi kjøper melk. = We buy milk.

So:

• Vi handler hver lørdag. focuses on the activity of shopping.
• Vi kjøper melk hver lørdag. focuses on the specific thing you buy.

Why can handler stand alone without an object? Shouldn’t it be Vi handler mat or something similar?

å handle is often used intransitively (without a direct object) when it simply means to go shopping / do the shopping.

• Vi handler. = We’re shopping / We’re doing the shopping.
• The object (groceries, food, etc.) is understood from context and doesn’t have to be said.

If you want to be more specific, you can add an object:

• Vi handler mat hver lørdag. = We buy food every Saturday.
• Vi handler klær på nettet. = We shop for clothes online.

But it’s completely natural and correct to just say Vi handler when you mean “We shop / We do the shopping”.

Is økonomisk an adjective or an adverb here?

Here, økonomisk is used as an adverb, describing how you shop: economically / in a thrifty way.

In Norwegian, adjectives ending in -isk usually have the same form for adjective and adverb:

• adjective:
  
  • en økonomisk bil = an economical car
  • en økonomisk løsning = an economic solution
• adverb:
  
  • Vi handler økonomisk. = We shop economically.
  • Han tenker økonomisk. = He thinks economically.

So the form økonomisk doesn’t change; context tells you if it’s an adjective or an adverb.

What exactly does økonomisk mean here? “Economic” or “economical” or “cheap”?

In this sentence, økonomisk means economically / in a thrifty, money‑saving way.

Nuances:

• økonomisk (about behaviour)
  
  • Vi handler økonomisk. = We shop in a way that saves money / we’re careful with money.
• billig = cheap (low price)
  
  • Vi kjøper billig mat. = We buy cheap food.
• økonomisk (about systems, politics, etc.)
  
  • økonomisk krise = economic crisis
  • økonomisk politikk = economic policy

So here it’s about being financially careful, not about the economy as a field of study.

Could the word order be different, like Vi handler hver lørdag økonomisk?

Vi handler økonomisk hver lørdag. is the most natural neutral order.

Both økonomisk (manner) and hver lørdag (time) are adverbials. In everyday speech, putting økonomisk before hver lørdag works well and sounds natural.

You could technically say Vi handler hver lørdag økonomisk, but it sounds unusual/marked and is not the default pattern.

Two very natural variants are:

• Vi handler økonomisk hver lørdag. (neutral statement)
• Hver lørdag handler vi økonomisk. (emphasis on every Saturday)

Why is handler in the present tense if this is a repeated/habitual action?

Norwegian uses the simple present to express habits and repeated actions, just like English:

• Vi handler økonomisk hver lørdag.
  = We shop economically every Saturday.
• Jeg trener hver dag. = I exercise every day.
• Hun leser avisen hver morgen. = She reads the newspaper every morning.

You don’t need anything extra like pleier å for regular habits, though you can use it for emphasis:

• Vi pleier å handle økonomisk hver lørdag.
  = We usually/normally shop economically every Saturday.

Why is it hver lørdag and not something like hver lørdagen?

With hver (every/each), you use the indefinite singular form of the noun:

• hver dag = every day
• hver uke = every week
• hver lørdag = every Saturday
• hver morgen = every morning

You do not add the definite ending (-en / -a / -et) after hver:

• ❌ hver lørdagen
• ✅ hver lørdag

Why is lørdag not capitalized like in English?

In Norwegian, days of the week are not capitalized unless they start a sentence or are part of a proper name:

• mandag, tirsdag, onsdag, torsdag, fredag, lørdag, søndag
• Vi handler økonomisk hver lørdag.
• Lørdag handler vi økonomisk. (capitalized only because it’s first in the sentence)

So lørdag stays lowercase inside the sentence.

Where would ikke go if I want to say “We don’t shop economically every Saturday”?

In a main clause, ikke normally comes after the finite verb. In this sentence:

• Vi handler ikke økonomisk hver lørdag.
  = We don’t shop economically every Saturday.

If you front the time expression, the verb–ikke order stays the same:

• Hver lørdag handler vi ikke økonomisk.
  (focus on “every Saturday we don’t shop economically”)

Is there another common way to say this, or a more “everyday” version?

Yes, you could phrase the same idea in several natural ways, for example:

• Vi prøver å handle økonomisk hver lørdag.
  = We try to shop economically every Saturday.
• Vi handler billig hver lørdag.
  = We shop cheaply every Saturday. (focus on low prices)
• Vi er økonomiske når vi handler på lørdager.
  = We are economical when we shop on Saturdays.

But Vi handler økonomisk hver lørdag. is already a perfectly natural and correct everyday sentence.