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Jeg sier nei til lånet, fordi jeg vil nedbetale gjelden først.

Jeg sier nei til lånet, fordi jeg vil nedbetale gjelden først.
I say no to the loan, because I want to pay off the debt first.

Breakdown of Jeg sier nei til lånet, fordi jeg vil nedbetale gjelden først.

jeg
I
til
to
fordi
because
si
to say
vil
want
først
first
lånet
the loan
nei
no
nedbetale
to pay off
gjelden
the debt
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Questions & Answers about Jeg sier nei til lånet, fordi jeg vil nedbetale gjelden først.

Why does it say sier nei til and not just sier nei?

In Norwegian, å si nei/ja til noe is the common pattern for saying no/yes to something.

  • Jeg sier nei. = I say no. (no object mentioned)
  • Jeg sier nei til lånet. = I say no to the loan.
    So til introduces what you’re refusing/agreeing to.
What’s the difference between lånet and lån?
lån is the indefinite form (a loan). lånet is the definite form (the loan). Norwegian often uses the definite form when referring to a specific, known thing (e.g., that loan we talked about).
Why is the definite article attached at the end: lån-et, gjeld-en?

Norwegian typically marks definiteness with a suffix:

  • et lån (a loan) → lån-et (the loan)
  • en gjeld (a debt) → gjeld-en (the debt)
    The -et / -en ending matches the noun’s grammatical gender (neuter vs. masculine/feminine).
Why are both lånet and gjelden definite—shouldn’t one be indefinite?

It’s natural here because both refer to specific things in the situation:

  • lånet = the particular loan being offered/discussed
  • gjelden = the existing debt the speaker already has
    Norwegian often chooses the definite form where English might still allow “a” in some contexts.
Why is there a comma before fordi?

Because fordi introduces a subordinate clause (a reason clause). In Norwegian, it’s standard to put a comma before such clauses:

  • Main clause: Jeg sier nei til lånet,
  • Subordinate clause: fordi jeg vil nedbetale gjelden først.
Why does the word order change after fordi?

After fordi, you’re in a subordinate clause, and Norwegian typically places the verb after the subject (and often after sentence adverbs too).
Compare:

  • Main clause (V2 rule): Jeg vil nedbetale gjelden først.
  • Subordinate clause: ... fordi jeg vil nedbetale gjelden først.
    Here it looks similar because there’s no fronted element, but the key point is: in subordinate clauses you don’t do the main-clause V2 inversion.
Why is it vil nedbetale and not vil å nedbetale?

After modal verbs like vil, kan, må, skal, bør, Norwegian uses the bare infinitive (no å):

  • Jeg vil nedbetale ... (I want to pay down ...)
    You use å after many other verbs, e.g. Jeg prøver å nedbetale ... (I try to pay down ...).
What exactly does nedbetale mean, and could I also say betale ned?

å nedbetale means to pay down / pay off gradually (often in installments).
You can also commonly say å betale ned, and it means the same:

  • Jeg vil nedbetale gjelden.
  • Jeg vil betale ned gjelden.
    Both are natural; betale ned is very common in everyday speech.
What’s the difference between lån and gjeld here?

lån = a loan (money you borrow, often a specific financial product/amount).
gjeld = debt (what you owe in general, possibly from one or many loans/bills).
So the sentence contrasts refusing a new loan (lånet) because the speaker wants to reduce existing debt (gjelden) first.

Why is først at the end, and could it be placed elsewhere?

Putting først at the end is very common and sounds natural: it gives “first” a clear concluding emphasis.
You could move it for emphasis, but it may sound more marked:

  • ... fordi jeg først vil nedbetale gjelden. (emphasizes “first”)
  • ... fordi jeg vil først nedbetale gjelden. (possible, but less neutral)