Questions & Answers about Hun vil ha hovedrollen i neste teaterstykke.
What does vil ha mean here? Is it “wants” or a future tense like “will have”?
In this sentence, vil ha means “wants (to have)”, not a neutral future tense.
- vil = want
- ha = have
So hun vil ha hovedrollen = she wants the main role.
Norwegian doesn’t use vil in the same way English uses “will” for a neutral future. For future meaning, Norwegian more often uses:
- skal for planned/arranged future:
- Hun skal ha hovedrollen = She is going to have the main role (it’s decided/planned).
- Present tense + time expression:
- Hun har hovedrollen i neste teaterstykke can also imply a future arrangement in context (she has the main role in the next play).
Why do we need ha after vil? Why not just Hun vil hovedrollen?
In Norwegian, vil normally needs a verb after it; it can’t just take a noun by itself in this meaning.
- vil ha = wants to have
- vil gjøre = wants to do
- vil spise = wants to eat
So you must say:
- Hun vil ha hovedrollen. ✅
She wants the main role.
Hun vil hovedrollen ❌ is incorrect, because hovedrollen is a noun, and vil here needs a verb (ha) to complete the meaning.
Why is it hovedrollen and not en hovedrolle?