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Hvis du vil bake i kveld, kan du kjøpe mer mel i matbutikken eller låne litt av naboen.

Hvis du vil bake i kveld, kan du kjøpe mer mel i matbutikken eller låne litt av naboen.
If you want to bake tonight, you can buy more flour at the grocery store or borrow some from the neighbor.
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Questions & Answers about Hvis du vil bake i kveld, kan du kjøpe mer mel i matbutikken eller låne litt av naboen.

Why does the sentence start with Hvis, and what does it do grammatically?
Hvis means if and introduces a conditional subordinate clause: Hvis du vil bake i kveld (If you want to bake tonight). In Norwegian, a subordinate clause typically keeps normal word order (subject before verb), unlike main clauses where the verb often comes second.
Why is it du vil bake and not vil du bake?
Because Hvis du vil bake i kveld is a subordinate clause. In subordinate clauses, Norwegian usually uses S–V order (du vil). In main questions you’d often see inversion (Vil du bake i kveld?), but not after hvis.
Why is there a comma after i kveld?

Norwegian normally uses a comma between the subordinate clause and the main clause:
Hvis du vil bake i kveld, kan du kjøpe ...
This comma is very consistent in Norwegian writing.

Why is it kan du kjøpe (verb before subject) after the comma?

Because the main clause starts with something other than the subject (the whole Hvis... clause comes first). Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb is in the second position. So after the introductory clause, the verb comes next:
..., kan du kjøpe ... (verb kan, then subject du).

What’s the difference between vil and kan here?
  • vil = want to / intend to (desire or willingness): du vil bake = you want to bake
  • kan = can / may (ability/possibility/permission): kan du kjøpe = you can buy / you may buy
Why is there no word like to before bake or kjøpe?

After modal verbs like vil and kan, Norwegian uses the bare infinitive (no å = to):

  • vil bake (not vil å bake)
  • kan kjøpe (not kan å kjøpe)
    You use å when there’s no modal: Jeg liker å bake.
What does mer mel mean, and why is mel used like that?
mer mel means more flour. Mel is a mass noun (uncountable), so you don’t use an indefinite article here (not et mel). mer is the comparative of mye (much).
Why is it i matbutikken and not på matbutikken?

i is commonly used for being inside or at/in a place, and for stores you’ll often say i butikken / i matbutikken.
på is used more for surfaces, institutions/areas, or “at” in some fixed expressions. In some dialects or contexts you can hear på butikken, but i matbutikken is very standard.

What’s the difference between matbutikken and just en matbutikk?
  • matbutikken = the grocery store (definite form; typically “the local/that one”)
  • en matbutikk = a grocery store (indefinite; any one)
    Norwegian often uses the definite form when the place is understood from context.
How does eller work here—does it connect two full clauses or just verbs?

Here eller connects two alternatives of what you can do:
1) kjøpe mer mel i matbutikken
2) låne litt av naboen
Both options depend on kan du (you can): it’s understood before the second verb as well.

Why is it låne litt av naboen and not låne naboen?

Because you’re borrowing something from the neighbor, not borrowing the neighbor.

  • låne = borrow
  • låne (noe) av (noen) = borrow (something) from (someone)
    So låne litt av naboen means borrow a little (some) from the neighbor.
What does litt refer to, and can it stand alone like that?
litt means a little / some and can stand alone when the thing is obvious from context. Here it implies litt mel (a little flour) without repeating mel.
What case or form is naboen, and why does it end in -en?
naboen is definite singular of nabo (neighbor). The ending -en is the common definite ending for many masculine nouns (and some feminine in Bokmål), giving the neighbor rather than a neighbor.