Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Kan vi se en annen film i kveld?

Statement: Vi kan se en annen film i kveld. = We can watch another movie tonight.
Question: Kan vi se en annen film i kveld? = Can we watch another movie tonight?

So you take the statement and invert the subject and the verb:

Vi kan → Kan vi

This verb‑first order is the normal way to form neutral yes/no questions in Norwegian.

Does kan always mean “can”? Can it also mean “may” or “be allowed to”?

Kan usually corresponds to English can, but it can cover several meanings depending on context:

Ability:
- Jeg kan svømme. = I can (am able to) swim.
Possibility:
- Det kan regne i kveld. = It can / might rain tonight.
Permission / polite request (like English may/can):
- Kan vi se en annen film i kveld?
  = Can we / May we watch another movie tonight?

In everyday Norwegian, kan is used both for ability and for asking permission, just like informal can in English.

Why is it se en film and not something like se på en film? What’s the difference between se and se på?

Both se and se på relate to seeing/watching, but they’re used a bit differently:

se = to see / watch (direct object right after the verb)
- se en film = watch a movie
- se TV = watch TV
se på = look at / watch (focus on the act of looking)
- se på TV = watch TV (also common)
- se på fuglene = look at the birds

With film, you most often say:

se en film = watch a movie

Se på en film is possible, but sounds less natural and is much less common than se en film.

What does en annen film literally mean, and what’s the difference between annen and andre?

En annen film literally means “an other movie” → another movie.

annen is the singular form (common gender):
- en annen film = another movie
- en annen dag = another day
andre is the plural form and also used for definite contexts:
- andre filmer = other movies
- de andre filmene = the other movies

So in Kan vi se en annen film i kveld?, annen matches the singular noun film (one movie).

Why is it i kveld and not something like på kveld? How do you talk about “tonight” in Norwegian?

For this evening / tonight, Norwegian uses i kveld, literally “in evening”:

i kveld = this evening / tonight
- Kan vi se en annen film i kveld? = Can we watch another movie tonight?

You do not say på kveld in this meaning.

A few related expressions:

i dag = today
i morgen = tomorrow
i går = yesterday
i natt = tonight (late night) / during the night

So for tonight in the sense of “this evening”, use i kveld.

Could Kan vi se en annen film i kveld? ever be a statement, or is it always a question?

With this word order and a question mark, it is naturally understood as a question.

Kan vi se en annen film i kveld? → Always read as a question.

For a statement, you normally don’t start with kan:

Vi kan se en annen film i kveld.
= We can watch another movie tonight.

Word order is important: verb‑first usually signals a yes/no question. Intonation also matters in speech, but in writing the inversion is the main clue.

How would I make this sound more polite, like “Could we watch another movie tonight?” instead of “Can we…”?

You can use the past form kunne to soften the request, similar to English could:

Kunne vi se en annen film i kveld?
= Could we watch another movie tonight?

Both are polite in normal conversation, but:

Kan vi …? = Can we …? (neutral, common)
Kunne vi …? = Could we …? (a bit more tentative/polite)

What’s the difference between Kan vi se … and Skal vi se …?

Both are common, but they have different nuances:

Kan vi se en annen film i kveld?
→ Asking if it is possible / allowed / okay.
“Is it possible / okay if we watch another movie tonight?”
Skal vi se en annen film i kveld?
→ Making a suggestion / proposal.
“Shall we watch another movie tonight?” / “How about watching another movie tonight?”

So:

kan vi …? = can we / may we? (possibility, permission)
skal vi …? = shall we? (suggestion, making plans together)

Where would I put “please” in Norwegian in a sentence like this?

Norwegian doesn’t use one single word for “please” in all situations. Politeness is often expressed by tone, phrasing, and verbs like kan / kunne.

If you want to add something explicitly polite, you can say:

Kan vi se en annen film i kveld, vær så snill?
= Can we watch another movie tonight, please?

Vær så snill literally means “be so kind” and is commonly used with requests, especially when you want to be extra polite or emphatic. Often Kan vi …? alone is polite enough in context.

Why is it en film and not filmen? How do I say “the other movie” instead of “another movie”?

Norwegian marks definiteness with endings, not with a separate “the”:

en film = a movie
filmen = the movie

In your sentence, en annen film means another movie (indefinite, not a specific one).

If you want the other movie, you’d say:

Kan vi se den andre filmen i kveld?
= Can we watch the other movie tonight?

Here:

den = that/the (for a singular common‑gender noun)
andre = other (used with definite nouns)
filmen = the movie (definite form of film)

How would I change the sentence to use a different subject, like “I” or “they”?

You keep the same structure, just change the pronoun:

Kan jeg se en annen film i kveld?
= Can I watch another movie tonight?
Kan du se en annen film i kveld?
= Can you watch another movie tonight?
Kan han/hun se en annen film i kveld?
= Can he/she watch another movie tonight?
Kan vi se en annen film i kveld?
= Can we watch another movie tonight?
Kan dere se en annen film i kveld?
= Can you (plural) watch another movie tonight?
Kan de se en annen film i kveld?
= Can they watch another movie tonight?

The verb kan stays the same for all persons.

Is there any difference between film and “movie/film” in English? Is film always a movie?

In modern everyday Norwegian, film most often means movie / film:

en film = a movie / a film
å se en film = to watch a movie

Depending on context, film can also mean:

photographic film (traditional camera film)
a thin layer / coating of something

But in the sentence Kan vi se en annen film i kveld?, it clearly means a movie.