"Det er kanskje ikke så langt?"
Translation:Maybe it's not so far?
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Maybe it's not so far? In this context it's a question, but it could also be used as a statement.
Are these also correct? 1. Kanskje det er ikke så langt 2. Det er ikke så langt Kanskje And which is more common?
Same question i have about this is - can we use it as kanskje det er ikke så langt , it would be correct or wrong?
"Kanskje det er ikke så langt" would be incorrect.
"Kanskje" can be treated: (a) as an adverb or (b) as short for "Det kan skje at", introducing a subordinate clause. On this basis, two word orderings are possible:
- "Kanskje er det ikke så langt": adverb positioning. Need to invert "det er" into "er det", because of the V2 rule.
- "Kanskje det ikke er så langt": subordinate clause positioning. "Ikke" comes before the verb in subordinate clauses rather than after.
The second is possible, but only in a casual, informal way, like adding "kanskje" as an afterthought.
I'm trying to wrap my head around why this is a question and not a statement. If a question, shouldn't the verb come first? As in "Kanskje er det ikke så langt?"
It's just a question just because of the question mark! In Norwegian, as in English, you can convert statements into questions with tone of voice.
1059
It would be "Kanskje er det ikke så langt?" as the verb would need to be in second position so "det" and "kanskje" just swap positions.
- 1059
"Kanskje" cannot be translated as "can" but means "perhaps" or "maybe". "langt" refers to a distance, not time. Your translation "can it be so long" would be "kan det være så lenge".