Kan du bore et hull i gipsveggen i morgen?

Can you drill a hole in the drywall tomorrow?

Breakdown of Kan du bore et hull i gipsveggen i morgen?

• du: you
• et: a
• i: in
• kunne: can

Questions & Answers about Kan du bore et hull i gipsveggen i morgen?

Why is it kan du and not du kan?

Because Norwegian uses verb-second (V2) word order in main clauses. In questions, the verb typically comes first:

• Kan du bore …? = Can you drill …?
  In a normal statement you’d say:
• Du kan bore … = You can drill …

So the inversion (verb before subject) is the standard way to form yes/no questions.

What exactly does bore mean here, and how is it different from other “make a hole” verbs?

Bore means to drill (make a hole using a drill). It’s the natural verb when the tool is a drill.
Related verbs you might see:

• lage et hull = make a hole (more general; doesn’t specify the method)
• stikke et hull = poke a hole (with something pointed)
• skjære et hull = cut a hole (with a knife/saw)

So bore et hull strongly implies drilling.

Why is it et hull and not en hull?