Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Det føles rolig her nå.

The important thing is that Norwegian is describing a feeling of the atmosphere at this place and at this moment, not someone’s physical sense of touch.

Why is it Det føles and not Jeg føler in this sentence?

Norwegian often uses an impersonal construction with det to talk about how a place or situation feels:

Det føles rolig her nå.
= It feels calm here now. (The situation/atmosphere feels calm.)

If you say:

Jeg føler meg rolig.
= I feel calm. (I personally am calm.)

So:

Det føles … describes how things are experienced in general.
Jeg føler … describes your own inner feeling.

In Det føles rolig her nå, you are not mainly talking about your own emotional state, but about the general mood of the place.

What kind of verb is føles, and how is it related to føle?

Føles is the so‑called -s form of the verb føle (to feel). You can think of it in two ways:

Historically, it is related to a passive or “middle voice” form.
In modern Norwegian, with verbs like føles, it usually works as a kind of “feel + adjective” construction, similar to English.

Compare:

Jeg føler noe. = I feel something. (active, with an object)
Det føles rolig. = It feels calm. (no object; description of how something feels)

Many verbs in Norwegian work like this:

Det høres rart ut. = It sounds strange.
Det kjennes godt. = It feels good.

So føles here is not passive in the English sense; it’s more like a special form used with adjectives to describe sensations or impressions.

Why is det used? What does det refer to?

In Det føles rolig her nå, det is mostly a dummy subject, like it in English:

Det regner. = It’s raining.
Det er kaldt. = It’s cold.

Here, det does not refer to a specific noun. It stands for “the situation / the atmosphere / things in general.” So:

Det føles rolig her nå.
≈ The situation/atmosphere here feels calm now.

You could sometimes rephrase it to make the reference clearer:

Stemningen føles rolig her nå.
= The atmosphere feels calm here now.

But in natural Norwegian, det is completely normal and more common.

What is the difference between Det føles rolig her nå and Det er rolig her nå?

Both are correct, but they have slightly different nuances:

Det er rolig her nå.
= It is calm/quiet here now.
This is a more objective statement, like a factual observation: there is not much noise or activity.
Det føles rolig her nå.
= It feels calm/peaceful here now.
This highlights the subjective impression or mood. It’s more like: the atmosphere comes across as calm to me (or to us).

In many contexts, they can be used almost interchangeably, but:

Use Det er rolig … if you’re just stating how things are.
Use Det føles rolig … if you’re focusing on how the situation is experienced.

Why is rolig used in this form? Shouldn’t there be a special adverb form like in English calmly?

In Norwegian, after verbs like være (be), bli (become), kjennes (feel), føles (feel), høres (sound), se ut (look), you normally use an adjective, not an adverb:

Det er rolig. = It is calm.
Det føles rolig. = It feels calm.
Det høres rart ut. = It sounds strange.

So rolig here is an adjective used as a predicative complement, describing the state of “it” (the situation), not how an action is being done.

Norwegian does have adverbs (often made with -t or identical to the adjective), but in this kind of pattern (det + føles + adjective), the adjective form is correct.

Also, rolig is the base form of the adjective; there is no visible neuter ending here because rolig = rolig in both common and neuter singular.

Can I also say Her føles det rolig nå? Is that correct, and what is the difference?

Yes, Her føles det rolig nå is grammatically correct.

Det føles rolig her nå.
Her føles det rolig nå.

Both mean essentially It feels calm here now, but the focus is slightly different:

Det føles rolig her nå is the most neutral; it starts with the dummy det and then gives more information.
Her føles det rolig nå puts extra emphasis on her (here), almost like: Here, it feels calm now (as opposed to somewhere else).

In everyday speech, Det føles rolig her nå is more common, but you will hear both word orders.

Why is the word order her nå and not nå her?

Both her nå and nå her are possible, but they sound different.

In Det føles rolig her nå, the most natural order is:

Place: her (here)
Time: nå (now)

Norwegian often prefers this order: place before time when both are short adverbs.

Det er fint ute i dag. (place ute, then time i dag)
Jeg skal være hjemme i morgen. (place hjemme, then time i morgen)

Det føles rolig nå her is not wrong, but it sounds a bit unnatural and marked; it might be used in speech for special emphasis (for example, contrasting with another time or place). For a normal, neutral sentence, her nå is best.

Can I drop nå and just say Det føles rolig her?

Yes, absolutely:

Det føles rolig her. = It feels calm here.

The difference:

With nå: Det føles rolig her nå
→ emphasizes the current moment; maybe it was different earlier or you expect it to change.
Without nå: Det føles rolig her
→ more general; it just feels calm here (in general or at this time, without stressing “now”).

So adding nå gives a more “right now” feeling to the sentence.

How should I understand the nuance of rolig here? Is it “quiet,” “calm,” or “peaceful”?

Rolig can cover several related ideas in English, and the exact translation depends on context:

quiet (not much noise)
calm (not much stress or movement)
peaceful (pleasantly calm and quiet)

In Det føles rolig her nå, rolig usually suggests a mixture of:

there isn’t much noise, and
there isn’t much stress or hectic activity.

So in English, both:

It feels calm here now.
It feels peaceful here now.

would usually fit better than It feels quiet here now, unless you specifically mean “not noisy.”

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? Can I use it in everyday conversation?

Det føles rolig her nå is neutral in style:

Completely fine in everyday speech.
Also fine in written Norwegian, including relatively formal contexts, if the style is somewhat descriptive or personal.

You could say this to a friend, to a colleague, or even write it in a description of a place. It does not sound slangy or overly formal.