Kan du ordne det før møtet?

Kan du means can you. In Norwegian, yes/no questions are often made by putting the verb before the subject, just like in English:

• Du kan ordne det. = You can fix it / arrange it.
• Kan du ordne det? = Can you fix it / arrange it?

So the word order is very natural for a question.

Ordne is a very common verb meaning something like:

• fix
• sort out
• arrange
• take care of

The exact English translation depends on context. In Kan du ordne det før møtet?, it could mean:

• Can you sort it out before the meeting?
• Can you take care of it before the meeting?
• Can you fix it before the meeting?

So ordne is flexible and useful in everyday Norwegian.

Det means it, but Norwegian chooses det or den based on the grammatical gender of the thing being referred to.

• det is used for neuter nouns
• den is used for common gender nouns

But in practice, det is also very often used in a general way, especially when the speaker means that matter / that thing / the situation rather than a specific noun repeated directly.

So in this sentence, det most naturally means it / that issue / that task.

Før means before.

In this sentence:

• før møtet = before the meeting

It is used to talk about time. You can use før with a noun:

• før middag = before dinner
• før skolen = before school

Or with a clause:

• før du går = before you leave

So here it introduces the time limit for when the action should be done.

Møtet means the meeting. The ending -et shows that the noun is in the definite form.

Compare:

• et møte = a meeting
• møtet = the meeting

Norwegian usually adds the definite ending directly to the noun instead of using a separate word like the in English.

So:

• før et møte = before a meeting
• før møtet = before the meeting

In your sentence, it is a specific meeting that both speakers know about.

Møte is a neuter noun:

• et møte = a meeting
• møtet = the meeting

Because it is neuter, the indefinite article is et, and the definite singular ending is -et.

This is also why learners may connect it with det, since det is the neuter pronoun.

It is usually heard as a polite request, especially in normal conversation.

Kan du ... ? literally means can you ... ?, but very often it functions like:

• Could you ... ?
• Can you please ... ?

It is softer than a direct imperative like:

• Ordne det før møtet. = Fix it before the meeting.

So Kan du ordne det før møtet? is a normal, natural way to ask someone to do something.

Yes, but it means something slightly different.

• Kan du ordne det før møtet? = Can you manage to do it before the meeting? / Could you do it before the meeting?
• Vil du ordne det før møtet? = Will you do it before the meeting? or sometimes Do you want to do it before the meeting?

Kan du focuses more on ability or practical possibility, though in everyday speech it often simply works as a request. Vil du can sound more like willingness.

So Kan du is often the safer and more natural choice for a polite request.

In normal speech, the main stress often falls on the important content words:

Kan du ORDNE det før MØTET?

But the emphasis can shift depending on what you want to highlight:

• Kan DU ordne det før møtet?
  if you mean you rather than someone else

• Kan du ordne DET før møtet?
  if you mean that specific thing

• Kan du ordne det før MØTET?
  if the time is the important part

So the default rhythm is natural and neutral, but spoken emphasis can change the nuance.

As a statement, the normal form would be:

Du kan ordne det før møtet.

That means You can fix it before the meeting or You are able to sort it out before the meeting.

Compare the word order:

• Kan du ordne det før møtet? = question
• Du kan ordne det før møtet. = statement

This is a good example of how Norwegian forms many questions by swapping the verb and subject.

A few things are especially worth noticing:

1. Question word order
   Norwegian uses verb-first order in yes/no questions, much like English:

   • Kan du ... ?

2. Definite nouns use endings
   Instead of a separate word for the, Norwegian adds an ending:

   • møtet = the meeting

3. Flexible verb meaning
   Ordne does not map to just one English verb. It can mean fix, arrange, sort out, or take care of.

4. No separate word for the in front of the noun here
   English has the meeting, but Norwegian just says møtet.

Those are all very common patterns in Norwegian, so this short sentence is actually a useful grammar example.