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Questions & Answers about Jeg er spent på resultatet, men hun er mer bekymret for tiden vi har.
Why is it spent på and not spent for/over?
In Norwegian, spent (“excited/curious/anxious in anticipation”) takes the preposition på:
- Jeg er spent på resultatet.
- Jeg er spent på å se resultatet.
- Jeg er spent på hvordan det går. Using for or over after spent is not idiomatic.
What’s the difference between spent and spennende?
- spent describes a person’s feeling: Jeg er spent (I’m excited/curious/nervous).
- spennende describes something as exciting: Resultatet er spennende (The result is exciting).
Why is it resultatet (definite) and what are its forms?
Because we’re talking about a specific result. Resultat is neuter:
- Indefinite sg.: et resultat
- Definite sg.: resultatet
- Indefinite pl.: resultater
- Definite pl.: resultatene
Why is it bekymret for and not another preposition?
The usual pattern is bekymret for + something/someone:
- Hun er bekymret for tiden vi har. You can also see bekymret over in more formal contexts or with abstract issues (e.g., bekymret over utviklingen), but for is the safe, general choice with “worried about.”
Why mer bekymret and not an -ere ending?
Comparatives of many multi-syllable adjectives and participles use mer/mest:
- bekymret → mer bekymret → mest bekymret
- Similarly: interessert → mer interessert (not interessantere).
Is the word order after men correct? Should it be V2?
Yes. Main clauses in Norwegian are V2 (the verb is in second position). After the coordinating conjunction men, the next main clause still follows V2:
- …, men hun er mer bekymret … (subject first, verb second). If you front something else, the verb still comes second: …, men i morgen er hun mer bekymret.
Could I add som in tiden vi har, and is it okay to drop it?
Yes, both are correct:
- tiden som vi har (more explicit)
- tiden vi har (natural, especially in speech) Here, som would be the object of har, and object-som can be omitted. If som is the subject, it must stay: tiden som er igjen (you can’t drop it there).
Does for tiden vi har mean “currently”? I thought for tiden = “at the moment.”
Good catch. The fixed phrase for tiden means “currently/these days.” Here, however, for belongs with bekymret (“worried about”), and tiden vi har is its object: “worried about the time we have.” So there’s no “currently” meaning in this sentence.
Why tiden and not tid? And can I say tida?
We need the definite form because it’s “the time we have.” In Bokmål, tid can be masculine or feminine:
- Masculine: en tid → tiden
- Feminine: ei tid → tida Both tiden and tida are correct in Bokmål. Nynorsk prefers tida.
How do I say “the time we have left”?
Add igjen:
- tiden vi har igjen / tida vi har igjen.
Is Jeg er spent på resultatet the same as Jeg gleder meg til resultatet?
Not quite.
- Jeg er spent (på …) = I’m in suspense/curious/nervous about it (neutral to slightly tense).
- Jeg gleder meg til … = I’m happily looking forward to it (positive). With “result,” you typically say: Jeg gleder meg til å se resultatet, not just “til resultatet.”
Can I use the verb form å bekymre seg instead of å være bekymret?
Yes:
- Hun bekymrer seg for tiden vi har.
- Hun er bekymret for tiden vi har. They’re near-synonyms. The reflexive verb focuses on the ongoing act of worrying; the adjective states her worried state.
Where does mer go? Could I say hun er bekymret mer?
Put mer before the adjective/adverb it modifies:
- Correct: Hun er mer bekymret …
- Incorrect/unnatural: Hun er bekymret mer …
How would I compare her worry to mine?
Use enn:
- Hun er mer bekymret enn meg. More formal/explicit: Hun er mer bekymret enn jeg (er). Both are used; the version with meg is common in speech.
Why the comma before men?
Men is a coordinating conjunction joining two main clauses. Standard punctuation puts a comma before it:
- …, men hun er …
Could I say over or på after bekymret, or for after spent?
Stick to these safe patterns:
- bekymret for
- noun/clause: bekymret for tiden vi har, bekymret for at …
- spent på
- noun/infinitive/question word: spent på resultatet, spent på å se …, spent på hvordan … Using for after spent, or på after bekymret, would be wrong in standard usage.
Why hun and not henne? And what about ho/hu?
Hun is the subject form (“she”), which you need here. Henne is the object form (“her”). Ho/hu are dialectal variants of hun and are common in speech in some regions but not standard Bokmål writing.
Could I use blir instead of er to show change?
Yes, to emphasize becoming more worried:
- Jeg er spent på resultatet, men hun blir mer bekymret for tiden vi har. This means she is growing more worried, not just that she currently is.