Vaktmesteren spør om hun skal låse seg inn, og jeg sier at det er greit.

The caretaker asks if she should let herself in, and I say that it’s fine.

Breakdown of Vaktmesteren spør om hun skal låse seg inn, og jeg sier at det er greit.

• jeg: I
• være: to be
• hun: she
• og: and
• det: it
• at: that
• si: to say
• spørre: to ask
• skulle: should
• om: if/whether
• vaktmesteren: the caretaker
• låse seg inn: to let oneself in
• grei: fine

Questions & Answers about Vaktmesteren spør om hun skal låse seg inn, og jeg sier at det er greit.

Why is it vaktmesteren and not en vaktmester?

Vaktmesteren is the definite form: the caretaker / the janitor. Norwegian often uses the definite form when talking about a specific, known person in the situation (even if English might say a caretaker).

• en vaktmester = a caretaker (introducing one, not specific)
• vaktmesteren = the caretaker (the one we both know about)

What does spør om mean here, and why om?

spør om introduces an embedded yes/no question, meaning asks whether/if.

• Vaktmesteren spør om hun skal … = The caretaker asks whether/if she should …
  You use om (not at) when the content is a question with a yes/no answer.

Can om also mean about? How do I know which meaning it has?

Yes, om can mean about, but in this structure it means whether/if because it’s followed by a full clause with normal sentence parts: hun skal låse seg inn.
Compare:

• spør om hun kommer = asks whether she is coming
• spør om nøkkelen = asks about the key

Why is it hun skal låse seg inn and not skal hun låse seg inn?

Because this is an embedded (subordinate) clause after om, not a direct question. Norwegian doesn’t invert subject and verb in embedded questions.

• Direct question: Skal hun låse seg inn?
• Embedded question: … spør om hun skal låse seg inn.

What exactly does skal mean here?

skal can mean shall/will, but very often it expresses should / is supposed to / is allowed to (in context). Here, it’s about what she ought to do in the situation: whether she should let herself in.

What does låse seg inn mean, and why is seg there?

låse seg inn means to let oneself in / to unlock the door and enter.
seg is a reflexive pronoun referring back to the subject (hun). Norwegian commonly uses a reflexive here because the action is done for/onto oneself: she unlocks the door so that she can get in.
(With another person, it would change:)

• Hun låser seg inn. = She lets herself in.
• Hun låser ham inn. = She locks him in / lets him in (different meaning; context-dependent).

Is låse seg inn the same as låse opp?

Not exactly.

• låse opp = unlock (something) (focus on unlocking)
• låse seg inn = let oneself in (focus on entering by unlocking)
  So låse seg inn includes the idea of getting inside, not just unlocking.

Why is there a comma before og?

Because og is connecting two independent clauses, each with its own subject and verb:
1) Vaktmesteren spør …
2) jeg sier …
In Norwegian, it’s normal to use a comma in this situation.

Why does the second part use sier at and not sier om?

Because sier at introduces a statement (a declarative content clause): says that …

• … sier at det er greit = says that it’s fine
  You use om for embedded yes/no questions, and at for reported statements.

What does det refer to in det er greit?

det is a dummy/placeholder subject, like English it. It refers to the whole situation or proposal (her letting herself in). So det er greit means that’s fine / it’s OK.

Why is it greit and not something agreeing with a noun (like gender/number agreement)?

greit is the neuter form used in the fixed pattern det er + adjective. Since det is neuter, the adjective appears in the neuter form: greit (not grei).
Examples:

• Det er fint.
• Det er mulig.
• Det er greit.

What word order rules are shown in this sentence?

Two main ones:
1) Main clause (V2): Vaktmesteren spør … / jeg sier … (the finite verb is in second position in main clauses).
2) Subordinate clauses after om/at keep subject before verb:

• om hun skal …
• at det er …