Han føler seg håpløst trøtt i kveld.

He feels hopelessly tired tonight.

Breakdown of Han føler seg håpløst trøtt i kveld.

• han: he
• i: in
• kvelden: the evening
• føle seg: to feel
• trøtt: tired
• håpløst: hopelessly

Questions & Answers about Han føler seg håpløst trøtt i kveld.

Why do we say føler seg and not just føler?

In Norwegian, føle is often used as a reflexive verb when you talk about how someone feels physically or emotionally.

• Han føler seg trøtt = He feels (himself) tired → He feels tired.
• Han føler trøtthet would sound very unnatural.

The reflexive pronoun seg refers back to han. Many verbs that describe internal states or changes use a reflexive pronoun:

• Jeg føler meg syk. – I feel sick.
• Hun føler seg ensom. – She feels lonely.

Without seg, føler is more about sensing or having a feeling about something:

• Han føler glede. – He feels joy. (more abstract/literary)
• Han føler kulden. – He feels the cold. (literally senses it)

In everyday Norwegian, for “feel tired / sick / happy”, you almost always use føler seg + adjective.

What is the difference between Han føler seg trøtt and Han er trøtt?

Both can be translated as “He is tired”, but there is a nuance:

• Han er trøtt.

  • Simple statement of fact.
  • Neutral: he is tired.

• Han føler seg trøtt.

  • Focus on his subjective experience: he feels tired.
  • Can sound a bit more personal, reflective, or temporary.

In practice, they are often interchangeable in casual speech. If you’re unsure, Han er trøtt is the more basic, neutral option.

What exactly is håpløst here – an adverb or an adjective? Why does it end in -t?

In håpløst trøtt, håpløst is functioning as an adverb that intensifies trøtt: hopelessly / terribly tired.

Norwegian often forms adverbs from adjectives by adding or keeping an -t ending:

• rask → raskt (quick → quickly)
• klar → klart (clear → clearly)
• håpløs → håpløst (hopeless → hopelessly)

So:

• håpløs (adjective): a hopeless situation → en håpløs situasjon
• håpløst (adverb here): hopelessly tired → håpløst trøtt

In this sentence, håpløst does not describe han, it describes how he is tired (the degree): extremely / utterly tired.

Does håpløst have to mean literally “hopelessly”? Or is it just like “very”?

Literally, håpløst = hopelessly, but in everyday speech it is often used as a strong intensifier, similar to:

• veldig trøtt – very tired
• utrolig trøtt – incredibly tired
• skikkelig trøtt – really tired

Håpløst trøtt often has a slightly negative or dramatic tone, like:

• so tired it feels hopeless / I give up
• pathetically / ridiculously tired

So it’s stronger and more emotionally colored than just veldig trøtt.

Why is it trøtt, not trøtte?

Adjectives in Norwegian change form depending on number and definiteness. For most adjectives:

• Indefinite singular: base form

  • Han er trøtt. – He is tired.
  • Hun er trøtt.

• Plural and definite: -e ending

  • De er trøtte. – They are tired.
  • Den trøtte mannen. – The tired man.
  • De trøtte barna. – The tired children.

In Han føler seg håpløst trøtt, han is singular and indefinite, so you use trøtt, not trøtte.

Where can I put i kveld in the sentence? Is the word order flexible?

Yes, but not everywhere is natural. Common variants are:

1. Han føler seg håpløst trøtt i kveld.
2. I kveld føler han seg håpløst trøtt. (starts with the time expression)

Both are completely natural.

Less natural or wrong placements:

• Han føler seg i kveld håpløst trøtt. – Grammatically possible, but sounds awkward and heavy.
• Han i kveld føler seg håpløst trøtt. – Very marked/poetic; not normal speech.

Basic rule: time expressions like i kveld often go:

• At the beginning: I kveld føler han seg …
• At the end: … håpløst trøtt i kveld.

Why do we say i kveld and not something like i dag kveld?

Norwegian has fixed time expressions:

• i dag – today
• i morgen – tomorrow
• i går – yesterday
• i kveld – this evening / tonight (in the evening sense)
• i natt – tonight (in the night sense)

You do not combine i dag + kveld in normal speech. So i dag kveld is incorrect or at least very unnatural.

You could also say:

• i ettermiddag – this afternoon
• i morgen kveld – tomorrow evening

I aften exists but sounds formal/old-fashioned in many dialects; i kveld is much more common.

What is the role of seg exactly? Can I replace it with seg selv?

Seg is the reflexive pronoun for han / hun / de (he / she / they). It refers back to the subject:

• Han føler seg trøtt. – He feels (himself) tired.
• Hun føler seg syk. – She feels sick.
• De føler seg bedre. – They feel better.

You can add selv for emphasis:

• Han føler seg selv håpløst trøtt.

But in this kind of sentence, seg selv often sounds too strong, heavy, or emphatic. It suggests something like “he himself, personally, feels hopelessly tired”, which is usually not needed. The natural everyday form is just føler seg.

Is føler seg used with all persons? How would this sentence look with other subjects?

Yes, føle seg is reflexive for all persons, but the pronoun changes:

• Jeg føler meg håpløst trøtt i kveld. – I feel hopelessly tired tonight.
• Du føler deg håpløst trøtt i kveld. – You feel hopelessly tired tonight.
• Han/Hun føler seg håpløst trøtt i kveld. – He/She feels hopelessly tired tonight.
• Vi føler oss håpløst trøtte i kveld. – We feel hopelessly tired tonight.
• Dere føler dere håpløst trøtte i kveld. – You (plural) feel hopelessly tired tonight.
• De føler seg håpløst trøtte i kveld. – They feel hopelessly tired tonight.

Reflexive pronouns:

• meg, deg, seg, oss, dere, seg

Could we say Han føler seg håpløs instead of håpløst trøtt?

Yes, but it would mean something different:

• Han føler seg håpløst trøtt.

  • He feels hopelessly tired.
  • Focus: degree of tiredness.

• Han føler seg håpløs.

  • He feels hopeless / useless / like a failure.
  • Håpløs is then an adjective describing him (his self-image), not his tiredness.

So håpløs describes the person, while håpløst here describes how he is tired.

Why is the verb in the present tense (føler) if we say i kveld?

It depends on the context:

• If it is already evening when he says this, then present tense is natural:
  
  • Right now, this evening, he feels hopelessly tired.

Norwegian simple present is used for states that are true at the time of speaking, and i kveld just tells us when this is happening.

If you wanted to talk about future tonight, you’d typically add a future meaning:

• Jeg kommer sikkert til å føle meg trøtt i kveld. – I will probably feel tired tonight.
• Jeg blir sikkert trøtt i kveld. – I’ll probably get tired tonight.

So in the given sentence, it’s understood as “this evening, now”.

What is the difference between trøtt and sliten?

Both relate to tiredness, but with different nuances:

• trøtt

  • General tired/sleepy.
  • Often used when you need rest or sleep.
  • Jeg er trøtt. – I am (sleepy) tired.

• sliten

  • Worn out, exhausted, used up.
  • Often from work, stress, or effort.
  • Jeg er sliten etter jobben. – I am worn out after work.

So håpløst trøtt suggests very tired, possibly sleepy.
håpløst sliten would emphasize being totally exhausted/worn out.

Can I replace føler seg with kjenner seg or er in this sentence?

Yes, with slightly different shades of meaning, but all are natural:

• Han føler seg håpløst trøtt i kveld.

  • He feels hopelessly tired (emotion/subjective focus).

• Han kjenner seg håpløst trøtt i kveld.

  • Very similar, maybe a bit more physical/sensory: he experiences himself as tired.

• Han er håpløst trøtt i kveld.

  • Flat statement: he is hopelessly tired.

In everyday speech, all three can be used, but er is the simplest and most neutral, while føler seg / kjenner seg slightly emphasize the personal feeling.