Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Jeg orker ikke å trene i kveld. - I don’t have the energy to exercise tonight.

Å orke means “to have the energy/strength to,” “to be up to,” or “to be able to face” something, often with a sense of tiredness or overload. Jeg orker ikke is like “I don’t have it in me / I can’t face it,” stronger than just “I don’t want to.” It’s not about permission or ability like “can,” and it’s less casual than “can’t be bothered,” though that can be a good translation in some contexts.

Why is it å and not og before trene?

Å is the infinitive marker “to” (as in “to train/work out”). Og means “and.” Many dialects pronounce them similarly, so they’re easy to mix up in writing, but in standard Norwegian you must use å before an infinitive: å trene.

Can I drop å and say Jeg orker ikke trene i kveld?

Not in standard written Norwegian—keep å: Jeg orker ikke å trene i kveld. Some speakers drop å in fast speech or dialectal writing, but it’s non‑standard. Note: after modal verbs like vil/kan/skal, there is no å (e.g., Jeg vil ikke trene), but orke is not a modal, so it takes å.

Where does ikke go in this sentence, and why?

In a main clause, the finite verb must be in second position (the V2 rule). So you get: Jeg (1) orker (2) ikke (3) å trene (4) i kveld (5). If you front a time phrase, the verb still stays second: I kveld (1) orker (2) jeg (3) ikke (4) å trene (5). In both cases, ikke comes right after the finite verb in main clauses.

How does the word order change in a subordinate clause?

In subordinate clauses, ikke comes before the finite verb. For example: fordi jeg ikke orker å trene i kveld (“because I don’t have the energy to work out tonight”) or at jeg ikke orker å trene i kveld (“that I don’t have the energy to work out tonight”).

Can I say å ikke trene instead of ikke å trene? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, the position of ikke can change the scope:

Jeg orker ikke å trene: You lack the energy/will to do the training (negation targets orker).
Jeg orker å ikke trene: You can bear/tolerate not training (negation targets trene). This is grammatical but much less common and only used when you want to emphasize the “not training” itself. In other structures, placing ikke before the infinitive is normal: Jeg bestemte meg for ikke å trene i kveld.

What’s the difference between orker ikke, gidder ikke, har ikke lyst til, and kan ikke?

Orker ikke: No energy/strength (physical or mental). “I can’t face it.”
Gidder ikke: Can’t be bothered/lack motivation; more colloquial.
Har ikke lyst til: Don’t feel like it; neutral, about desire.
Kan ikke: Can’t (ability, possibility, permission, or schedule). All can fit different contexts, but they’re not interchangeable in tone.

Could I use the noun trening instead of the verb å trene?

Yes, when you mean “practice/training” as an event: Jeg orker ikke trening i kveld (“I can’t be bothered with practice tonight”). With the gym nuance, you’ll often hear: Jeg orker ikke å dra på trening i kveld (“I don’t have the energy to go to the gym/practice tonight”).

Does trene need to be reflexive, like trene seg?

No. Å trene by itself means “to work out/train”: Jeg trener hver dag. Trene seg appears in specific expressions like trene seg opp (rehabilitate/build oneself back up) or trene seg til å (train oneself to). Also, trene can be transitive: Hun trener hunden (“She trains the dog”).

Is ikveld one word? How do I write the time phrase correctly?

Write it as two words: i kveld. The one‑word form ikveld is a common informal mistake in Bokmål. The standard is always two words.

Why not say i dag kveld for “tonight”?

Norwegian uses the fixed phrase i kveld (“this evening/tonight”). For “tomorrow evening,” say i morgen kveld; for “yesterday evening,” i går kveld. Don’t insert i dag in front of kveld.

What’s the difference between i kveld, i natt, i ettermiddag, and i aften?

I kveld: this evening/tonight (early evening to bedtime).
I natt: tonight/last night (the night period while people usually sleep).
I ettermiddag: this afternoon.
I aften: somewhat old‑fashioned/formal; mostly Danish; understood but rarely used in everyday Norwegian. For habitual time, use om/på kvelden (“in the evenings” in general).

Can I drop the subject and say Orker ikke å trene i kveld?

In standard Norwegian, you keep the subject pronoun: Jeg orker ikke å trene i kveld. Dropping jeg is texting shorthand or note‑style, not normal full‑sentence grammar.

How do I conjugate orke and trene?

Both are regular (weak) verbs in Bokmål:

orke: orker (present), orket (preterite), har orket (perfect). Example: I går orket jeg ikke å trene. / Jeg har ikke orket å trene i det siste.
trene: trener (present), trente (preterite), har trent (perfect). Example: Jeg trener vanligvis, men i kveld orker jeg ikke.

Any quick pronunciation tips for the whole sentence?

Jeg: often like “yai” or “yaih.”
orker: stress on first syllable; tap the r; “OR-ker.”
ikke: “IK-keh,” with a long k sound.
å: like the vowel in “law.”
trene: “TREH-neh” (first vowel like in “bed,” not “train” in English).
i kveld: “ee kvel(d)”—the final d is weak or barely audible in many accents. Natural rhythm: cluster ikke å smoothly: “ikke‑å.”

Does fronting i kveld change the meaning?

Not the basic meaning, only the emphasis.

Jeg orker ikke å trene i kveld: neutral focus.
I kveld orker jeg ikke å trene: emphasizes “tonight” (as opposed to other times).