Ikke engang abboren tar agnet.

to take

Breakdown of Ikke engang abboren tar agnet.

• agnet: the bait
• abboren: the perch
• ikke engang: not even

Questions & Answers about Ikke engang abboren tar agnet.

What does ikke engang mean here?

Ikke engang means not even.

So:

• ikke = not
• engang = even / at all in some contexts

Together, ikke engang is a fixed expression meaning not even:

• Ikke engang abboren tar agnet. = Not even the perch takes the bait.

It adds emphasis: if even the perch will not take the bait, things are really not going well.

Why is it abboren and not just abbor?

Because abboren is the definite singular form of abbor (perch).

In Norwegian, definiteness is usually added to the end of the noun:

• abbor = a perch / perch
• abboren = the perch

This sentence uses the perch rather than just perch.

In context, this can mean:

• a specific perch already understood from the situation, or
• the perch as a representative fish species in that situation

English sometimes uses the in similar ways too, but Norwegian does this very naturally with the noun ending.

Why is it agnet and not agn?