Vi bruker bilen økonomisk for å spare penger.

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Breakdown of Vi bruker bilen økonomisk for å spare penger.

• bilen: the car
• for å: in order to
• bruke: to use

Questions & Answers about Vi bruker bilen økonomisk for å spare penger.

Why is it bilen and not just bil here?

In Norwegian, you usually use the definite form when you mean a specific thing that both speaker and listener know about.

• Vi bruker bilen økonomisk…
  = We use *the car economically…* (our/that particular car)

If you say:

• Vi bruker bil når vi skal på hytta.
  = We use a car when we go to the cabin. (speaking more generally about using a car as a means of transport)

So bilen implies “our/the car we have”, not just “cars in general”. You could also say:

• Vi bruker bilen vår økonomisk… = We use our car economically…

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What does å bruke mean here, and could I use å kjøre instead?

Å bruke means “to use” in a broad sense:

• Vi bruker bilen… = We use the car… (we make use of it)

In this context, it implies using/driving the car in a way that is economical.

Å kjøre means “to drive”:

• Vi kjører økonomisk for å spare penger.
  = We drive economically to save money.

That sentence is actually more idiomatic if you specifically mean driving style (e.g. not accelerating hard, not speeding).

Vi bruker bilen økonomisk… is correct and understandable, but many natives might prefer Vi kjører økonomisk… if it’s really about how you drive.

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