Learn Hardcore Danish: Jeg orker ikke at lave mere mad i dag, så vi nøjes med rugbrød og te. - I do not have the energy to make more food today, so we make do with rye bread and tea.

Word

Jeg orker ikke at lave mere mad i dag, så vi nøjes med rugbrød og te.

Meaning

I do not have the energy to make more food today, so we make do with rye bread and tea.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Lesson

Breakdown of Jeg orker ikke at lave mere mad i dag, så vi nøjes med rugbrød og te.

What does orker mean here?

Orker is the present tense of at orke.

In this sentence, jeg orker ikke ... means something like:

So it is not mainly about physical ability in the sense of can/can’t. It is more about energy, stamina, or mental willingness.

Compare:

Jeg kan ikke lave mad. = I can’t cook / I’m unable to cook.
Jeg vil ikke lave mad. = I don’t want to cook.
Jeg orker ikke at lave mad. = I don’t have the energy to cook / I can’t face cooking.

Why is it ikke after orker?

In a normal main clause, Danish usually places ikke after the finite verb.

So:

follows the usual pattern:

That is why you get:

and not:

A very useful basic pattern is:

Why is it at lave and not just lave?