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Questions & Answers about Jeg har ikke peiling.
Why is the sentence Jeg har ikke peiling and not Jeg ikke har peiling?
In a normal Norwegian main clause, the finite verb usually comes in second position. That means the verb har comes right after the subject jeg, and the negation ikke comes after the verb.
So the order is:
- Jeg = I
- har = have
- ikke = not
- peiling = clue / idea / sense
That is why Jeg har ikke peiling is correct.
Jeg ikke har peiling sounds wrong in a normal statement.
What does peiling mean here?
In this expression, peiling means something like a clue, an idea, or any knowledge about something.
The phrase ha peiling is idiomatic. It does not usually mean physical direction or navigation in this sentence, even though the word historically relates to that kind of idea.
So Jeg har ikke peiling means:
- I have no clue
- I have no idea
- I don’t know at all
It is a very common everyday expression.
Why does Norwegian use har (have) here instead of a verb meaning know?