Nogle gange bliver jeg træt af arbejdet.

Sometimes I get tired of the work.

Breakdown of Nogle gange bliver jeg træt af arbejdet.

• jeg: I
• af: of
• blive: to become
• arbejdet: the work
• træt: tired
• nogle gange: sometimes

Questions & Answers about Nogle gange bliver jeg træt af arbejdet.

What does nogle gange literally mean, and are there other ways to say “sometimes” in Danish?

Nogle gange literally means “some times” (as in “at some occasions”). It’s the most common everyday way to say “sometimes”.

Other common options are:

• sommetider – also “sometimes”, a bit more neutral/written, but still used in speech.
• af og til – “now and then / every now and then”, often a bit less frequent than nogle gange.

In this sentence, you can freely replace nogle gange with sommetider or af og til without changing the meaning much.

Why is it bliver and not er? What’s the difference between bliver træt and er træt?

Bliver comes from at blive and here means “to get / to become”.

• Jeg bliver træt af arbejdet = I (sometimes) *get tired of the work (focus on the *change of state).
• Jeg er træt af arbejdet = I *am tired of the work (focus on the *state; it’s already true).

So bliver emphasizes that this happens or develops at certain times, not that you are constantly tired of the work.

Why is the word order “Nogle gange bliver jeg …” and not “Nogle gange jeg bliver …”?

Danish has V2 word order in main clauses: the finite verb must be in second position, no matter what comes first.

• Here, Nogle gange is in first position.
• Therefore the verb bliver must be second.
• The subject jeg then comes after the verb.

So:

• ✅ Nogle gange bliver jeg træt af arbejdet.
• ❌ Nogle gange jeg bliver træt af arbejdet. (Incorrect word order in Danish)

Can I also say “Jeg bliver nogle gange træt af arbejdet”? Is that different?

Yes, that’s perfectly correct:

• Nogle gange bliver jeg træt af arbejdet.
• Jeg bliver nogle gange træt af arbejdet.

Both mean “Sometimes I get tired of the work.”

The difference is only in focus and style:

• Starting with Nogle gange slightly emphasizes the frequency (“As for sometimes…”).
• Putting nogle gange after the verb is a bit more neutral in spoken Danish.

In everyday conversation, both versions are natural.

Why is it træt af and not træt med or træt fra?

In Danish, træt af is the standard combination:

• træt af noget/nogen = tired of something/someone, fed up with, bored with.

So:

• Jeg er træt af arbejdet. = I’m tired of / fed up with the work.

Træt med is not used, and træt fra is very uncommon. To express physical tiredness because of work, Danes usually still use af and let the context clarify:

• Jeg er træt efter arbejdet. = I’m tired after work.
• Jeg er træt af at arbejde så meget. = I’m tired (worn out / fed up) from working so much.

So the fixed pattern here is træt af + noget.

What’s the difference between arbejde, arbejdet, and mit arbejde?

All three are related, but they’re not the same:

• arbejde – work in general, or a job in an abstract sense.
  
  • Arbejde er vigtigt. = Work is important.
• arbejdet – the work / the job (definite form of arbejde).
  
  • Jeg er færdig med arbejdet. = I’m finished with the work / my job (today).
• mit arbejde – my job / my work (explicitly possessive).
  
  • Jeg kan godt lide mit arbejde. = I like my job.

In Nogle gange bliver jeg træt af arbejdet, arbejdet usually means “the work I have to do / my job” in context, even though mit isn’t said.

Why does it end in -et? Is arbejde a neuter noun?

Yes. Arbejde is a neuter noun: et arbejde.

Neuter nouns form the definite singular with -et:

• et arbejde → arbejdet (the work / the job)
• et hus → huset (the house)
• et problem → problemet (the problem)

So af arbejdet literally means “of the work” or “of the job”.

Could the sentence also mean “Sometimes I get tired from work” (physically exhausted), or is it only “tired of work” (fed up)?

It usually leans more towards “tired of / fed up with the work” because of the phrase træt af (noget).

However, in real conversations, context can shift it a bit towards tired from work (exhaustion), especially if people are talking about long hours or hard physical work. Still, if you want to be clear:

• træt af arbejdet – normally understood as mentally tired of / fed up with the work.
• træt efter arbejdet or træt på grund af arbejdet – clearly tired because of work (physically or mentally).

How do you pronounce træt and arbejdet?

Very roughly (using English-like hints):

• træt: Danish IPA: [tʁɛˀd]

  • The r is a guttural sound in the throat.
  • The æ is like the vowel in “bed”, but a bit more open.
  • There is a stød (a kind of glottal catch) on the vowel.
  • The t at the end is often weak or barely audible in fast speech.

• arbejdet: Danish IPA: [ˈɑːbɑjðəð] (varies by dialect)

  • First syllable: ar- like a long “ah” sound.
  • -bej- like English “buy” but shorter: [baj].
  • The final -det is not pronounced like full “det”; it’s more like a soft -ðəð (soft “th”-like sounds), and can be quite reduced in fast speech.

Is there any difference between nogle gange, sommetider, and af og til?

All three can translate as “sometimes”, but there are small nuance differences:

• nogle gange – very common in everyday speech; neutral, flexible.
• sommetider – also common; maybe a touch more formal/written, but still normal in speech.
• af og til – “now and then / every now and then”; often suggests something that happens a bit less regularly or a bit more sporadically.

In your sentence, all three are grammatically fine:

• Sommetider bliver jeg træt af arbejdet.
• Af og til bliver jeg træt af arbejdet.

The meaning stays very close to the original.