Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Jeg har vondt i armen, men hosten er nesten borte. - My arm hurts, but the cough is almost gone.

Norwegian adjectives have different forms. Vond (m/f), vondt (neuter), vonde (plural/definite). In the fixed expression ha vondt i + body part (to have pain in…), Norwegian uses the neuter form vondt. It’s a set phrase, so you don’t change the form to match the body part.

Why is it i armen and not på armen?

Use i for pain felt inside a body part: vondt i armen, i hodet, i magen, i ryggen. Use på for something on the surface: sår på armen (a wound on the arm), utslett på huden (rash on the skin). So internal pain = i, surface issues = på.

Why is it armen (definite) and not arm or armen min?

Norwegian often uses the definite form with body parts when possession is obvious, especially after a preposition: i armen, i hodet. You normally don’t add a possessive. You can use a possessive for emphasis or contrast: i armen min (my arm, not someone else’s), but it sounds marked in neutral statements.

Could I say Armen (min) gjør vondt or Det gjør vondt i armen instead?

Yes. All are natural:

Jeg har vondt i armen. (most neutral)
Armen (min) gjør vondt. (focus on the arm as subject)
Det gjør vondt i armen. (impersonal “it” construction) They’re interchangeable in many contexts; choose based on what you want to emphasize.

Is hosten a noun or a verb here?

A noun. Hoste is both a noun (cough) and a verb (to cough).

Noun: hoste (indefinite), hosten (definite “the cough”)
Verb: å hoste; jeg hoster = I cough Your sentence uses the noun: Hosten er nesten borte = The cough is almost gone. You can also say Jeg har hoste = I have a cough.

Does hosten mean “the autumn” here?

No. “The autumn” is høsten (with ø). Hosten (with o) is “the cough.” Be careful: hoste vs høste/høsten are different words.

What’s the rule for the comma before men?

In Norwegian you put a comma before men when it joins two independent clauses: Jeg har vondt i armen, men hosten er nesten borte. If the second part isn’t a full clause, there’s usually no comma.

Is the word order after men correct? Should it be inverted?

After the coordinating conjunction men, you keep normal subject–verb order: men hosten er…. Inversion (verb before subject) doesn’t happen here. Men er hosten… would be a yes/no question.

Where does nesten go? Can I say “Hosten er borte nesten”?

Place nesten before the word it modifies: Hosten er nesten borte. Don’t put it after: “borte nesten” sounds odd. Other natural options:

Hosten er nesten helt borte.
Jeg hoster nesten ikke.

What’s the nuance of borte? Could I use vekk instead?

Borte means “gone/away; no longer present.” In this sentence it’s a state: the cough is (almost) gone. Vekk is a near-synonym in many dialects/contexts: Hosten er nesten vekk is common and informal. Both are fine here.

How do you pronounce the trickier words?

Approximate guide (East Norwegian):

Jeg ≈ YAI/YEI (the g is not pronounced as in English)
vondt ≈ VONT (the d is silent)
hosten ≈ HOOS-ten (short “oo,” like in “book”)
borte ≈ BOR-teh (with a retroflex “rt” sound in many dialects) Exact sounds vary by dialect.

What are the genders and forms of arm and hoste?

arm (masculine): en arm, definite armen, plural armer, definite plural armene.
hoste (masculine noun in Bokmål): indefinite hoste, definite hosten. It’s often treated as an uncountable noun, so Jeg har hoste is common; en hoste is rare.

Could I say Jeg har smerter i armen instead of Jeg har vondt i armen?

Yes, but it sounds more formal/medical. Everyday speech prefers Jeg har vondt i armen. Other options:

Armen gjør vondt.
Jeg fikk vondt i armen. (it started hurting)
Jeg hadde vondt i armen. (it was hurting, past)