Breakdown of Han klager ofte, men jeg bryr meg ikke.
jeg
I
han
he
men
but
ikke
not
ofte
often
klage
to complain
bry seg
to care
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Questions & Answers about Han klager ofte, men jeg bryr meg ikke.
Why is ofte placed after klager in Han klager ofte? Can I put it somewhere else?
- Main-clause word order in Norwegian is V2: the finite verb is in the second position. So we get Han klager ofte (subject + verb + adverb).
- You can front the adverb for emphasis; then the verb must still be second: Ofte klager han.
- Don’t say Han ofte klager in a neutral statement; that breaks V2.
Why is it jeg bryr meg ikke and not jeg ikke bryr meg?
- In a main clause, the finite verb must be second, so jeg bryr has to come before adverbs like ikke.
- Unstressed object/reflexive pronouns often come before ikke, so we get jeg bryr meg ikke. With a full noun phrase, ikke usually comes before it: Jeg bryr meg ikke om været.
- In subordinate clauses the order changes: at jeg ikke bryr meg (here, ikke comes before the verb).
What’s going on with bryr meg? Why do I need a reflexive pronoun?
- Å bry seg is a reflexive verb meaning “to care.”
- It must take a matching reflexive pronoun:
- Jeg bryr meg
- Du bryr deg
- Han/Hun bryr seg
- Vi bryr oss
- Dere bryr dere
- De bryr seg
- In your sentence: jeg bryr meg ikke = I don’t care.
Do I need om after bry seg? When do I say bry seg om?
- If you specify what you care about, use om: Jeg bryr meg om barna.
- As a general, dismissive statement, you can drop it: Jeg bryr meg ikke (I don’t care).
- You can include it when you refer to something specific: Jeg bryr meg ikke om det.
How is å klage conjugated?
- Infinitive: å klage
- Present: klager (e.g., Han klager ofte)
- Preterite: klaget/klaga
- Past participle: klaget/klaga
- It’s a regular -e verb in Bokmål (present is -er).
How is å bry (seg) conjugated?
- Infinitive: å bry (seg)
- Present: bryr (seg) (e.g., Jeg bryr meg)
- Preterite: brydde (seg)
- Past participle: brydd (seg)
- Examples: Jeg brydde meg ikke, Jeg har brydd meg lite.
Which preposition goes with klage: på, over, or til?
- klage på = complain about (common, everyday): Han klager på været.
- klage over = complain about (a bit more formal/literary): Hun klager over støyen.
- klage til = complain to (a person/authority): Vi klagde til sjefen.
Is the comma before men required?
- Yes. In Norwegian you place a comma before coordinating conjunctions like men when they join two main clauses: Han klager ofte, men jeg bryr meg ikke.
- If the second part isn’t a full clause, you typically don’t use a comma: Ikke bare klager han men syter også (here many would still add a stylistic comma, but the strict rule hinges on full clauses).
What’s the difference between han and ham?
- Han is the subject form; ham is the traditional object form.
- In modern Bokmål, many speakers also use han as the object in speech. In careful writing, ham is preferred as the object.
- Your sentence correctly uses subject Han: Han klager ofte. Object examples: Jeg liker ham/han (both heard; ham is more formal).
How do you pronounce the sentence?
Approximate standard (Eastern) pronunciations:
- Han: hahn
- klager: KLAH-ger (g as in go; tapped/flipped r)
- ofte: OF-teh (the f is pronounced)
- men: men
- jeg: yai/yei (varies by dialect; also je)
- bryr: brüü-r (front rounded vowel like French u; long)
- meg: mai/mei (varies by dialect)
- ikke: IK-keh (with a long k) Dialectal variation is normal and expected.
What’s the nuance difference between Jeg bryr meg ikke, Jeg gidder ikke, and Det bekymrer meg ikke?
- Jeg bryr meg ikke = I don’t care / I’m indifferent.
- Jeg gidder ikke = I can’t be bothered / I don’t feel like making the effort (laziness/reluctance).
- Det bekymrer meg ikke = It doesn’t worry me (no anxiety/concern), not necessarily indifference.
How do I say He doesn’t complain often in Norwegian? Where does ikke go with ofte?
- Say Han klager ikke ofte (negation scopes over the frequency).
- Don’t say Han klager ofte ikke in neutral speech; that sounds odd or suggests a different, marked focus.