Breakdown of Jeg rekker vanligvis toget, men i dag rakk jeg det ikke.
jeg
I
i dag
today
det
it
men
but
toget
the train
ikke
not
vanligvis
usually
rekke
to catch
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Questions & Answers about Jeg rekker vanligvis toget, men i dag rakk jeg det ikke.
What does the verb rekke mean here, exactly?
In this context, rekke means “to make it in time to catch something,” as in catching a train, bus, or flight. It can also mean “have time for” (e.g., Jeg rekker å spise = I have time to eat) or “reach” physically (e.g., rekke opp hånden = raise/reach up your hand). Here it means “to catch (in time).”
How do you conjugate rekke?
It’s irregular:
- Infinitive: å rekke
- Present: rekker
- Preterite (past): rakk
- Past participle: rukket (with auxiliary har: har rukket)
- Imperative: rekk!
Examples: Jeg rekker toget. I går rakk jeg det ikke. Jeg har ikke rukket å ta toget i dag.
Why is vanligvis placed after the verb in Jeg rekker vanligvis toget?
Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb is in second position. In a neutral statement with the subject first, the verb comes second, and sentence adverbs like vanligvis go after the verb: Jeg [1] rekker [2] vanligvis [3] toget [4]. You can also front the adverb for emphasis: Vanligvis rekker jeg toget.
In men i dag rakk jeg det ikke, why does the verb come before the subject?
Because i dag is placed first. With V2, whatever you put first (here, a time adverbial) is followed by the finite verb in second position, then the subject: I dag [1] rakk [2] jeg [3] …. This is standard word order in Norwegian main clauses.
Why is the negation at the end: rakk jeg det ikke? Why not rakk jeg ikke det?
With object pronouns, the pronoun normally comes before ikke: … rakk jeg det ikke. With full noun phrases, ikke typically precedes the object: … rakk jeg ikke toget. You can say … rakk jeg ikke det only with special contrastive emphasis on det (“not that one”). The neutral choice with a pronoun is det ikke.
Why is it det and not den?
Because tog (train) is neuter in Norwegian: et tog – toget. The corresponding pronoun is the neuter det, not the common-gender den.
Why is it toget (definite) instead of just tog?
You’re talking about “the train” you usually catch, not trains in general. Norwegian marks definiteness with a suffix: et tog (a train) → toget (the train). So Jeg rekker vanligvis toget = I usually catch the train.
Can I repeat the noun instead of using the pronoun? For example: … men i dag rakk jeg ikke toget.
Yes. Both … rakk jeg det ikke and … rakk jeg ikke toget are natural. The first avoids repeating the noun; the second repeats it for clarity. Style and context determine which feels better; both are common.
Could I use something other than vanligvis to mean “usually”?
Yes. Alternatives include:
- som regel: Jeg rekker som regel toget.
- normalt / oftest / for det meste. You can also use pleier å with a verb: Jeg pleier å rekke toget (“I usually manage to catch the train”), which frames it as a habit.
How do I use rekke å + infinitive?
Use it to say you (don’t) have time to do something:
- Jeg rakk å kjøpe kaffe. (I had time to buy coffee.)
- Jeg rakk ikke å ta toget i dag. (I didn’t have time to take/catch the train today.) In the perfect, you’ll often see har rukket with an infinitive: Jeg har ikke rukket å ta toget.
Is i dag one word or two?
Two words: i dag is the standard spelling in Bokmål and Nynorsk. The one-word form idag is non‑standard in Norwegian (but standard in Swedish).
Why is there a comma before men?
Norwegian requires a comma before men when it connects two independent main clauses: Jeg rekker vanligvis toget, men …. This matches Norwegian comma rules for coordinating conjunctions introducing a new clause.