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Jeg er redd for torden.

Jeg er redd for torden.
I am afraid of thunder.
FromLesson 21inHardcore Norwegian
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Breakdown of Jeg er redd for torden.

jeg
I
være
to be
redd
afraid
for
of
torden
the thunder

Questions & Answers about Jeg er redd for torden.

What does redd mean here and what part of speech is it?
In Jeg er redd for torden, redd is an adjective meaning afraid or scared, describing the subject’s emotional state. It functions like any other predicate adjective following the verb er (to be).
Why is for used after redd rather than av? In English we say afraid of.
In Norwegian, when you express being afraid of something, you always use redd for plus the thing you fear. The preposition for corresponds to English of in this construction, even though for normally translates as for in other contexts.
Why isn’t there an article before torden? Shouldn’t it be en torden or tordenen?
The noun torden (thunder) is uncountable in Norwegian—just like water or air. Uncountable nouns do not take an indefinite article, so you simply say torden when referring to thunder in general.
Can you pluralize torden to talk about thunderstorms? How would you say I’m afraid of thunderstorms?

Since torden is uncountable, you don’t pluralize it directly. To refer specifically to thunderstorms, you have two main options: • tordenvær (literally “thunder weather”):
Jeg er redd for tordenvær.
• tordenstormer (thunderstorms):
Jeg er redd for tordenstormer.

How do you say I’m afraid to fly in Norwegian?

When you’re afraid to do something, you use redd for å + infinitive. So I’m afraid to fly becomes:
Jeg er redd for å fly.

What’s the difference between redd and skremt?

• redd is an adjective describing a general or ongoing fear (e.g. jeg er redd – I am afraid).
• skremt is often used after the verb ble or å bli (to become) to describe a sudden fright:
Jeg ble skremt da jeg hørte bråket. (I got scared when I heard the noise.)

Why is the verb er placed second in Jeg er redd for torden?
Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must occupy the second position in the sentence. Here the subject Jeg is first, so er (the finite verb) comes second, followed by the rest of the clause.

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