Det regner i dag, så vi holder oss inne.

It is raining today, so we stay indoors.

Breakdown of Det regner i dag, så vi holder oss inne.

• vi: we
• i dag: today
• det: it
• regne: to rain
• så: so that
• holde seg inne: to stay indoors

Questions & Answers about Det regner i dag, så vi holder oss inne.

Why does the sentence start with det? What does det refer to?

In weather expressions, Norwegian uses det as a dummy subject (like English it in it’s raining). It doesn’t refer to anything specific; it’s just there because Norwegian clauses normally need a subject.

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Why is it Det regner and not Det er regn?

Norwegian usually expresses “it’s raining” with the verb regne: Det regner.
Det er regn is possible but sounds more like “There is rain / It is rainy (in a factual way)” and is less idiomatic than using the verb.

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What tense is regner, and does it also cover “it is raining (right now)”?

regner is present tense. In Norwegian, the present tense commonly covers both:

• habitual/general present (“it rains a lot here”), and
• ongoing present (“it’s raining right now”), depending on context. Here i dag makes it clearly “today (now/these hours).”

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Where can i dag go in the sentence? Is the placement fixed?

It’s flexible. Common options include:

• Det regner i dag, så vi holder oss inne. (as given)
• I dag regner det, så vi holder oss inne. (fronting i dag)
• Det regner, så vi holder oss inne i dag. (putting “today” with the second clause)

All are natural, with slightly different focus.

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Why is there a comma before så?

Because så here links two main clauses (“It’s raining today, so we’re staying inside”). Norwegian normally uses a comma between main clauses joined by coordinating conjunctions like og, men, for, eller, så when each side is a full clause.

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Is så always “so”? Can it also mean “then”?

Yes, så can mean different things:

• so/therefore as a conjunction: Det regner, så vi holder oss inne.
• then as an adverb: Så gikk vi hjem. (“Then we went home.”)

A key difference: when så means then and starts the sentence, it often behaves like an adverb and triggers inversion (see next question).

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Why is it så vi holder (subject before verb) and not så holder vi?

Here så functions like a conjunction meaning so/therefore, and the second clause keeps normal main-clause word order: vi holder.

If you begin a sentence with adverbial så meaning then, you typically get inversion:

• Så holder vi oss inne. = “Then we stay inside.”

So så + subject + verb is typical for “so/therefore” linking two clauses, while Så + verb + subject is typical when så is a fronted adverb meaning “then.”

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What does holder oss inne mean literally, and why is it reflexive?

Literally it’s “we hold ourselves inside,” but idiomatically it means “we stay indoors / we keep ourselves inside.”
The verb phrase is å holde seg inne (reflexive), where:

• seg = “oneself” (changes form by person: meg/deg/seg/oss/dere/seg)

So vi holder oss inne is the “we” form.

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Could I also say vi blir inne? Is that the same?

Often yes:

• vi blir inne = “we’re staying inside” (very common and straightforward)
• vi holder oss inne = “we’re keeping/staying inside,” sometimes with a nuance of choosing to remain in or keeping to the indoors

Both are natural; the given sentence just uses the reflexive idiom.

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What’s the difference between inne and inn?

• inne = “inside” as a state/location (being indoors): Vi er inne. / Vi holder oss inne.
• inn = “in/inside” as motion/direction (going indoors): Vi går inn. (“We go in.”)

So staying indoors uses inne, not inn.

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How do I pronounce regner and holder (roughly)?

Pronunciation varies by dialect, but roughly (Eastern Norwegian / Oslo-ish):

• regner ≈ “RANG-ner” (with a Norwegian r; the gn is often pronounced like ngn)
• holder ≈ “HOL-der” (the o is a rounded vowel, not exactly English “oh”)

If you tell me which dialect/audio course you’re using, I can match that variety more closely.