Log inSign up

Hvis vi mangler ingredienser, går jeg til matbutikken og kjøper mer.

Hvis vi mangler ingredienser, går jeg til matbutikken og kjøper mer.
If we’re missing ingredients, I go to the grocery store and buy more.

Breakdown of Hvis vi mangler ingredienser, går jeg til matbutikken og kjøper mer.

jeg
I
vi
we
gå
to go
til
to
og
and
kjøpe
to buy
hvis
if
mer
more
mangle
to be missing
ingrediensen
the ingredient
matbutikken
the grocery store
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Norwegian grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Norwegian now

Questions & Answers about Hvis vi mangler ingredienser, går jeg til matbutikken og kjøper mer.

Why does Hvis come first, and what does it mean here?
Hvis means if and introduces a conditional (subordinate) clause: Hvis vi mangler ingredienser = If we lack ingredients / If we’re missing ingredients. When a sentence starts with a subordinate clause in Norwegian, it usually triggers a word-order change in the main clause (see below).
Why is the word order går jeg and not jeg går?

Because the sentence starts with a subordinate clause (Hvis ...), the main clause follows the V2 rule (the finite verb is in position 2). So after the comma, Norwegian puts the verb first and the subject second:

  • Hvis vi mangler ingredienser, går jeg ... Not: ..., jeg går ... (that would be non-standard in this context).
What is the difference between mangler and savner?

mangler means lack / be missing (something needed), often in a practical sense (ingredients, money, parts). savner means miss (someone/something emotionally) or feel the absence of something you wish were there. So with ingredients, mangler is the natural choice.

Why is ingredienser not in the definite form (ingrediensene)?

Indefinite plural ingredienser is common when speaking generally: if we’re missing (some) ingredients.
ingrediensene would mean the ingredients (a specific, known set), e.g. the ones required by a particular recipe and already identified.

Why is matbutikken definite (the grocery store)?

Norwegian often uses the definite form when the place is understood from context—like the store you normally go to, or the relevant store in the situation.

  • til matbutikken = to the grocery store (the usual/known one)
    If it’s not a specific one, you could also say til en matbutikk = to a grocery store.
Is matbutikken the only way to say “grocery store”?

No—common alternatives include:

  • butikken (the store; very common if context is clear)
  • dagligvarebutikk (more formal/precise: grocery store)
  • matbutikk (common and clear) All can work depending on context and register.
Why is it går jeg til and not drar jeg til?

gå literally means walk, but it’s also often used like go in English, focusing on the action of going rather than the transport method.
dra can also mean go/leave/head off, and can feel a bit more like “set off”:

  • går jeg til matbutikken = I go to the store (neutral)
  • drar jeg til matbutikken = I head to the store / I’m off to the store
Why is the present tense used (går, kjøper)—is this about the future?

Norwegian commonly uses the present tense for future or habitual meaning when the context makes it clear. In a conditional like this, it often expresses what you do whenever that condition happens:

  • Hvis vi mangler ..., går jeg ... og kjøper ... = If we’re missing ..., I go and buy ...
What does og kjøper mean grammatically—why isn’t it å kjøpe?

This is coordination of two finite verbs with the same subject (jeg):

  • går ... og kjøper ... = (I) go ... and buy ... Both går and kjøper are in the present tense because they’re both main actions.
    You would use å kjøpe after certain verbs (like skal, vil, liker, etc.), e.g. Jeg skal kjøpe mer.
What does mer mean here, and could it be flere?

mer means more in the sense of more quantity (mass/uncountable or just “more of it”):

  • kjøper mer = buy more (of whatever is missing)

flere means more with countable plural items:

  • kjøper flere egg = buy more eggs (additional eggs)

Here mer is natural because it refers generally to “more (ingredients/supplies)” without specifying countable items.

Why is there a comma after ingredienser?

Norwegian normally uses a comma after an initial subordinate clause:

  • Hvis vi mangler ingredienser, går jeg ... This is standard punctuation and helps show where the subordinate clause ends and the main clause begins.
How would you pronounce some tricky parts of the sentence?

A few common learner trouble spots:

  • Hvis: often like viss (the h is silent)
  • kjøper: the kj is a “soft” sound (not like English k); vowels ø are rounded (roughly like the vowel in “bird” but with rounded lips)
  • matbutikken: stress is usually on the first part: MAT-but-ik-ken (exact vowel quality varies by dialect)