Kan du holde døren åpen mens jeg går ut?

Kan du literally means Can you. In Norwegian, this is a very common and natural way to make a polite request, just like in English.

So although it literally asks about ability, in real use it often means something like:

• Could you ...?
• Would you mind ...?

In this sentence, Kan du holde døren åpen ...? is a polite request, not really a question about whether the person is physically able to do it.

Because this is a question/request.

In Norwegian main clauses, the finite verb often comes in the second position, and in yes/no questions it usually comes first:

• Du kan holde døren åpen. = You can keep the door open.
• Kan du holde døren åpen? = Can you keep the door open? / Could you hold the door open?

So the sentence starts with the verb kan, followed by the subject du.

Because kan is a modal verb, and modal verbs in Norwegian are followed by the bare infinitive.

So you say:

• kan holde
• vil gå
• skal spise
• må dra

not:

• kan å holde
• vil å gå

So holde is infinitive, but without å because it comes after kan.

Because the sentence is talking about a specific door: the door, not just a door.

• dør = door
• døren = the door

In Norwegian, definiteness is usually shown by adding an ending to the noun:

• en dør = a door
• døren = the door

You may also see døra in Bokmål, which is another common definite form, especially in everyday speech.

Because åpen agrees with døren, which is a singular common-gender noun.

Here åpen is describing the state of the door in holde døren åpen = keep the door open.

Compare:

• døren er åpen = the door is open
• vinduet er åpent = the window is open
• dørene er åpne = the doors are open

A useful thing to remember is that in this kind of structure, the adjective agrees with gender and number, not with definiteness.

Mens means while.

It introduces a subordinate clause and shows that two actions happen at the same time:

• holde døren åpen = one action
• jeg går ut = another action

So mens jeg går ut means while I go out / while I’m going out.

This is very similar to English while.

Norwegian often uses the present tense for actions happening now, very soon, or in a situation understood from context.

So mens jeg går ut can naturally mean:

• while I go out
• while I’m going out
• while I head out

You could say mens jeg skal gå ut in some contexts, but here it would usually sound less natural. The simple present går is the most straightforward choice.

Ut means out.

Together, gå ut means go out. This is a very common verb + particle combination.

In Norwegian, particles like ut, inn, opp, ned often come after the verb:

• gå ut = go out
• komme inn = come in
• stå opp = get up
• gå ned = go down

So jeg går ut is the normal order.

It can feel like both, depending on context.

Literally, holde is hold/keep. In this sentence, holde døren åpen means keeping the door in an open state for someone while they go out.

In natural English, that is often translated as:

• Can you hold the door open while I go out?
• Can you keep the door open while I go out?

So the Norwegian structure matches English quite closely here.

Yes, that is a correct Norwegian sentence, but it means something slightly different.

• Kan du holde døren åpen ... = Can you hold/keep the door open ...
• Kan du åpne døren ... = Can you open the door ...

So åpne focuses on the action of opening it, while holde ... åpen focuses on keeping it open for a period of time.

If the door is already open or needs to stay open while someone passes through, holde døren åpen is the better choice.

A rough guide:

• døren sounds approximately like DUR-en, but with the Norwegian ø sound, which does not exist exactly in English
• åpen sounds approximately like OH-pen, but with a longer å sound

The special vowels are important:

• ø is a rounded front vowel, somewhat similar to the vowel in some pronunciations of French deux or German schön
• å is like the vowel in British English law for many speakers

Also:

• Kan du holde døren åpen mens jeg går ut?

has a natural spoken rhythm where holde døren åpen flows together quite smoothly.

It is neutral and very natural in everyday speech.

Using du makes it informal in the sense that Norwegian normally uses du with almost everyone. That does not sound rude. Modern Norwegian generally uses du in most situations, even where some other languages would use a formal you.

So this sentence is perfectly normal for everyday use:

• with friends
• with strangers
• at work
• in shops and public places

It is polite because of the wording Kan du ...?, even though it is not especially formal.