Han er spent på filmen i kveld.

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Questions & Answers about Han er spent på filmen i kveld.

What does the word bolded as spent mean here? Does it mean “tired”?

In Norwegian, spent means “excited,” “eager,” or “curious/tense about the outcome.” It can include a nuance of nervousness. It does not mean “tired.” For “tired,” use sliten or trøtt.

  • Positive/neutral: forventningsfull, ivrig
  • Slightly nervous: nervøs, urolig
What’s the difference between spent and spennende?
  • spent describes a person’s feeling: “He is excited/tense.”
  • spennende describes something that is exciting: “The film is exciting.” Examples:
  • Jeg er spent. (I’m excited/curious.)
  • Filmen er spennende. (The film is exciting.)
Is spent the most natural way to say “excited” about a future event?

Often Norwegians prefer the reflexive phrase gleder seg til for purely positive “looking forward to.”

  • Han gleder seg til filmen i kveld. = He’s (happily) looking forward to the movie tonight.
  • Han er spent på filmen i kveld. = He’s excited/curious (maybe a bit nervous) about the movie tonight.
Why is it spent på and not “spent for” or “spent til”?

The idiomatic preposition with spent is :

  • spent på + noun: Jeg er spent på filmen.
  • spent på + å + infinitive: Jeg er spent på å se filmen. Other feelings take other prepositions:
  • gleder seg til filmen
  • skuffet over noe
  • redd for noe
  • interessert i noe
Can I say spent på å se filmen?

Yes. Both are fine, with a tiny nuance:

  • Han er spent på filmen i kveld. (focus on the movie as the thing)
  • Han er spent på å se filmen i kveld. (focus on the act of seeing it)
Why is it filmen (definite) and not en film (indefinite)?

Because it refers to a specific, known film (the one that’s on tonight). Norwegian marks definiteness with a suffix:

  • en film = a film (not specific)
  • filmen = the film (specific/known) You could also say kveldens film (tonight’s film).
Does i kveld modify filmen or the whole sentence?

In Han er spent på filmen i kveld, i kveld most naturally attaches to filmen (“tonight’s film”). If you want to say “tonight he is excited (about the film),” put the time first:

  • I kveld er han spent på filmen. (tonight modifies the whole clause)
How do I negate it? Where does ikke go?

Place ikke after the finite verb er:

  • Han er ikke spent på filmen i kveld. If you front a time expression (V2 rule still applies):
  • I kveld er han ikke spent på filmen.
Are other word orders possible?

Yes, common options:

  • Neutral: Han er spent på filmen i kveld.
  • Time-first (emphasis on time): I kveld er han spent på filmen. Avoid splitting på filmen or parking i kveld in odd spots; those can sound marked or awkward.
How does the adjective spent agree in number? Is spendt ever correct?
  • Singular (he/she): spentHan/Hun er spent.
  • Plural: spenteDe er spente. Common mistake: writing spendt. The correct forms are spent (singular) and spente (plural/definite).
Any quick pronunciation tips for the words?
  • Han: “hahn”
  • er: like “air” but short
  • spent: like English “spent” (short e as in “set”)
  • : “po” with a long o-sound
  • filmen: stress on the first syllable: “FIL-men”
  • i kveld: “ee kvell” (the d in kveld is very soft or barely audible in many accents)
How do I correctly say “tonight” in Norwegian?

Use i kveld. Don’t say “i dag kveld.” Other time words:

  • i ettermiddag = this afternoon
  • i natt = tonight/at night (late night)
  • i morgen kveld = tomorrow evening For habitual/general: om kvelden = in the evenings.
Can I use blir to say “will get/become excited”?

Yes, bli means “become”:

  • Han blir ofte spent før filmen begynner.
  • I kveld blir han nok spent når filmen starter. Saying Han blir spent på filmen i kveld is unusual; add a trigger: …når filmen begynner.
Is i kveld one word?
No. Standard Bokmål spells it as two words: i kveld. The one-word form ikveld is nonstandard.
How do I use the reflexive gleder seg til with different subjects?
  • jeg: gleder meg til
  • du: gleder deg til
  • han/hun/hen: gleder seg til
  • vi: gleder oss til
  • dere: gleder dere til
  • de: gleder seg til … Examples:
  • Han gleder seg til filmen i kveld.
  • Vi gleder oss til å se filmen i kveld.