Han er spent på filmen i kveld.

to be

Breakdown of Han er spent på filmen i kveld.

• han: he
• i: in
• filmen: the film

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”?