Jeg synes livet er spennende.

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Breakdown of Jeg synes livet er spennende.

• være: to be
• synes: to think
• spennende: exciting

Questions & Answers about Jeg synes livet er spennende.

What does each word in Jeg synes livet er spennende literally mean?

Word by word:

• jeg = I
• synes = think / find / have the opinion (about something you experience or feel)
• livet = the life (definite form of liv = life)
• er = is (present tense of to be)
• spennende = exciting / thrilling

So a very literal rendering would be: “I think the life is exciting.”
Natural English: “I think life is exciting.”

Why is it livet and not just liv if the English sentence is “I think life is exciting”?

In Norwegian, general statements about a whole category often use the definite form, where English uses no article:

• Livet er kort. = Life is short.
• Vinen er dyr i Norge. = Wine is expensive in Norway.

Here, liv is a neuter noun, and its definite singular is livet (the life).

So Jeg synes livet er spennende literally has “the life”, but this is the normal way to express the general concept “life” in Norwegian. Using liv without the article here would sound incomplete or ungrammatical.