Han virker fornærmet.

He seems offended.

Breakdown of Han virker fornærmet.

• han: he
• virke: to seem
• fornærmet: offended

Questions & Answers about Han virker fornærmet.

What does virker mean in this sentence?

Here virker means seems, appears, or comes across as.

The verb is å virke, which can have several meanings in Norwegian, including:

• to seem / appear
• to work / function

In Han virker fornærmet, it has the seem/appear meaning.

So the structure is:

• Han = he
• virker = seems
• fornærmet = offended

Why is it virker fornærmet and not er fornærmet?

Both are possible, but they mean slightly different things.

• Han virker fornærmet = He seems offended
• Han er fornærmet = He is offended

Using virker makes the statement less direct. You are describing how he appears, not claiming for certain how he feels.

This is similar to English:

• He seems tired vs. He is tired
• He seems annoyed vs. He is annoyed

What kind of word is fornærmet here?