Question 1

Why is at used after Hun sier, and can it be left out?

Accepted Answer

At introduces a reported (subordinate) clause, similar to English that: Hun sier at ... = She says (that) ....  
It’s often possible to omit at in speech and informal writing: Hun sier hun vil nedbetale alt i år. In more careful/standard written Norwegian, keeping at is common and often preferred.

Question 2

Why is hun repeated: Hun sier at hun ...?

Accepted Answer

Because the sentence contains two clauses:
- Main clause: Hun sier ...
- Subordinate clause (what she says): at hun vil nedbetale ...

Norwegian normally requires an explicit subject in the subordinate clause too, so you repeat hun rather than “reusing” it implicitly.

Question 3

What does vil mean here—does it mean “want to” or “will (future)”?

Accepted Answer

Vil can express both intention/willingness (want to / intend to) and a future meaning (will). In this context, it typically means intends/wants to: hun vil nedbetale alt i år = she intends to pay it all down/off this year.

If you want a stronger sense of plan/commitment or obligation, Norwegian often uses skal: hun sier at hun skal nedbetale ....

Question 4

Why is the verb form nedbetale (infinitive) after vil?

Accepted Answer

After modal verbs like vil, kan, må, skal, Norwegian uses the infinitive without å:
- vil nedbetale (not vil å nedbetale)

So vil + infinitive is the standard pattern.

Question 5

What’s the difference between nedbetale and betale ned?

Accepted Answer

They are very close in meaning: “pay down / pay off (a debt).”
- nedbetale is a single verb and can feel slightly more formal/financial.
- betale ned is a very common everyday alternative.

Both work here: vil nedbetale alt / vil betale ned alt.

Question 6

Why does it say alt i år and not something like alt dette året?

Accepted Answer

i år is the normal, idiomatic way to say this year.  
Alt i år means “all of it within this year.” You can say alt dette året, but it’s heavier and often used for emphasis or contrast.

Question 7

Why is there a comma before selv om?

Accepted Answer

Because selv om gjelden fortsatt er stor is an additional subordinate clause (a concessive clause: “even though ...”). In Norwegian, it’s standard to separate such clauses with a comma when they follow the main clause.

Question 8

How does selv om work grammatically?

Accepted Answer

Selv om means even though / although and introduces a subordinate clause. It signals contrast: she says she’ll pay everything this year, even though the debt is still large.

Question 9

Why is the word order gjelden fortsatt er stor and not gjelden er fortsatt stor?

Accepted Answer

Both are possible, but there’s an important rule in subordinate clauses: sentence adverbs (like fortsatt, ikke, aldri, ofte) typically come before the verb:
- Subordinate clause style: ... at gjelden fortsatt er stor
- Also possible (often a bit more “main-clause-like”/less strict): ... at gjelden er fortsatt stor

A clear contrast is with ikke (not), where the “adverb-before-verb” placement is very strong in subordinate clauses: ... at gjelden ikke er stor.

Question 10

What does gjelden mean, and why does it have -en at the end?

Accepted Answer

Gjeld means debt.  
Gjelden is the definite form: the debt. Norwegian often expresses “the” by adding an ending to the noun:
- en gjeld (a debt) / gjelden (the debt)

In this sentence, it refers to a specific known debt, so the definite form is used.

Hun sier at hun vil nedbetale alt i år, selv om gjelden fortsatt er stor.

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