Skaden i kneet blir verre hvis hun ikke hviler.

The injury in the knee gets worse if she does not rest.

Breakdown of Skaden i kneet blir verre hvis hun ikke hviler.

• hun: she
• i: in
• hvis: if
• bli: to become
• ikke: not
• hvile: to rest
• verre: worse
• kneet: the knee
• skaden: the damage

Questions & Answers about Skaden i kneet blir verre hvis hun ikke hviler.

Why does it say skaden and kneet with -en / -et at the end?

Those endings mark the definite form (like “the” in English).

• skade (a common-gender noun) → skaden = “the injury”
• kne (a neuter noun) → kneet = “the knee” Norwegian often prefers the definite form when you’re talking about a specific, known thing (here: a particular injury in a particular knee).

Why is it Skaden i kneet and not something like Skaden i det kneet?

When a noun is definite in Norwegian, you usually don’t also add a separate word for the. So kneet already means the knee, and i kneet is a very normal way to say “in the knee.” You can say i det kneet in special contexts (e.g., contrasting: “in that knee, not the other one”), but it’s not the neutral everyday option here.

What’s the grammar of i kneet—why i (“in”)?

Norwegian commonly uses i for injuries/pain located inside a body part, especially joints:

• vondt i kneet = pain in the knee
• skade i kneet = injury in the knee
  You’ll also see i ryggen (in the back), i skulderen (in the shoulder), etc.

Could it be på kneet instead of i kneet?

Sometimes, but it changes the nuance.

• i kneet suggests the problem is in the joint/inside the knee.
• på kneet is more like on the knee (on the surface), or it can describe physical position (e.g., being on your knees). For an internal knee injury, i kneet is the default.

Why is the verb blir used instead of er?

blir means “becomes / gets,” emphasizing change over time. So blir verre = “gets worse.” Using er verre would describe a state (“is worse”), often implying comparison with something else, rather than deterioration.

Why is it verre and not verrere?

verre is an irregular comparative:

• ille / dårlig (bad) → verre (worse) → verst (worst) So you don’t add -ere here.

What tense is blir and hviler?

Both are present tense. Norwegian often uses present tense where English might use “will”:

• Skaden … blir verre can mean “gets worse” (general) or “will get worse” (future consequence), depending on context.
• hvis hun ikke hviler = “if she doesn’t rest”

What’s the word order in the hvis clause—why hun ikke hviler?

After hvis (if), you get a subordinate clause. In Norwegian subordinate clauses:

• the subject comes early (hun),
• ikke typically comes before the verb. So: hvis hun ikke hviler = if she does not rest.

If ikke goes before the verb in the subordinate clause, what about the main clause?

In a main clause, Norwegian usually has V2 word order (the finite verb is in the 2nd position), and ikke often comes after the verb:

• Hun hviler ikke. = She doesn’t rest.
  But in the subordinate clause you saw:
• … hvis hun ikke hviler.

Can the sentence start with the hvis clause, and what happens then?

Yes. If you front the conditional clause, the main clause keeps V2, so the verb comes right after the first element:

• Hvis hun ikke hviler, blir skaden i kneet verre. Notice blir comes before skaden here.

Does hviler mean “rests,” “relaxes,” or “sleeps”?

hviler means rests (taking it easy / not straining). It doesn’t specifically mean “sleep.” You might also see:

• å hvile = to rest
• å ta det med ro = to take it easy
  Depending on context, hvile can be physical rest (not using the knee) rather than mental relaxation.

Why is it hun and not henne?

hun is the subject form (she), used when the person is doing the action:

• hun hviler = she rests
  henne is the object form (her), used after verbs/prepositions:
• Jeg ser henne. = I see her
• for henne = for her