Jeg skulle ønske at jeg forsto alle følelsene mine bedre.

I wish that I understood all my feelings better.

Breakdown of Jeg skulle ønske at jeg forsto alle følelsene mine bedre.

• jeg: I
• at: that
• mine: my
• forstå: to understand
• bedre: better
• alle: all
• følelsen: the feeling
• skulle ønske: to wish

Questions & Answers about Jeg skulle ønske at jeg forsto alle følelsene mine bedre.

What does skulle ønske actually mean here, and why not just say jeg ønsker?

In Jeg skulle ønske …, the expression skulle ønske is an idiomatic way to say “I wish …” about something that is not the case (a regret, a longing, something unreal or hypothetical).

• Jeg skulle ønske at jeg forsto … ≈ “I wish I understood …”
• jeg ønsker … is more like “I desire / I want …” and is usually used for:
  • polite requests: Jeg ønsker å bestille … – “I would like to order …”
  • formal statements: Vi ønsker dere velkommen. – “We welcome you.”

So:

• Use skulle ønske when you are expressing a wish about an unreal or unlikely situation, often with a nuance of regret.
• Use ønsker for real wants, intentions, or formal well‑wishes.

That’s why in this emotional, reflective sentence, jeg skulle ønske is much more natural than jeg ønsker.

Why is it forsto (past tense) and not forstår (present) if the meaning is “I wish I understood … now”?

Norwegian behaves similarly to English here:

• English: I wish I understood my feelings better.
  (We use understood – past form – to talk about an unreal present.)
• Norwegian: Jeg skulle ønske at jeg forsto alle følelsene mine bedre.

Using the past tense forsto signals that this is not true right now – it’s a hypothetical or unreal situation. You don’t understand your feelings better, but you wish you did.

If you said … at jeg forstår …, it would sound wrong or at least unnatural, because the “wish” construction in Norwegian normally takes this “unreal past” (preterite) to match the hypothetical meaning.

So:

• forstår = real present understanding
• forsto after skulle ønske = unreal / contrary‑to‑fact wish about the present

Both skulle and forsto look like past forms. Does this mean the whole sentence is in the past?

No. Grammatically both are past forms, but functionally they express a present‑time wish about an unreal situation, not a past event.

• skulle ønske is a fixed expression meaning “wish (that) …” and doesn’t refer to real past time here.
• forsto is in the preterite to show that the situation is contrary to fact at the present (you don’t understand your feelings better right now).

Compare:

• Jeg forstår alle følelsene mine. – “I understand all my feelings.” (real present)
• Jeg skulle ønske at jeg forsto alle følelsene mine bedre. – “I wish I understood all my feelings better.” (unreal present)

So the tense forms are “past” in shape, but they create an irrealis / hypothetical meaning about now.

Is the at in jeg skulle ønske at jeg forsto … necessary, or can it be dropped?

You can safely drop at here. Both are correct:

• Jeg skulle ønske at jeg forsto alle følelsene mine bedre.
• Jeg skulle ønske jeg forsto alle følelsene mine bedre.

Points to know:

• In spoken and informal written Norwegian, at is often omitted after verbs like si, tro, håpe, ønske, skulle ønske, as long as the sentence is still clear.
• Keeping at can sound a bit more careful, explicit, or formal, but not much; both versions are very natural.

So whether you use at or not is mostly a matter of style and rhythm, not correctness.

Why is it alle følelsene mine and not alle mine følelser? Are both possible, and do they feel different?

Both alle følelsene mine and alle mine følelser are grammatically correct, but they differ slightly in style and nuance.

1. Alle følelsene mine

   • Noun in definite form: følelsene (“the feelings”)
   • Possessive after the noun: mine
   • Very natural and common in spoken Norwegian.
   • Feels neutral, everyday, personal.

2. Alle mine følelser

   • Possessive before the noun: mine følelser
   • Noun in indefinite plural: følelser
   • Feels a bit more formal, written, or emphatic.
   • Can slightly highlight the possessor (“my” in contrast to someone else’s).

In your sentence, alle følelsene mine sounds a bit softer and more typical in a reflective, personal statement like this one, which is probably why it is chosen. But alle mine følelser would not be wrong.

Why do we have følelsene (definite form) together with mine? Isn’t that like saying “the feelings my”?

Yes, and that’s exactly what Norwegian normally does with post‑posed possessives: it uses double definiteness.

Pattern when the possessive comes after the noun:

• følelsene mine
  
  • følels‑ene = “the feelings” (definite plural ending)
  • mine = “my” (plural possessive)
  • Together: “my feelings”

This combination sounds perfectly natural to Norwegian ears. It’s not redundant in Norwegian; it’s just the standard pattern:

• boka mi – “my book”
• vennene våre – “our friends”
• følelsene mine – “my feelings”

So in alle følelsene mine, the structure is:

• alle – “all”
• følels‑ene – “the feelings”
• mine – “my”

Literally “all the feelings my”, but idiomatically just “all my feelings”.

Why is the possessive mine and not min or mitt?

The choice of min / mi / mitt / mine depends on the gender and number of the noun:

• Singular masculine: min (e.g. min telefon)
• Singular feminine: mi (e.g. mi veske)
• Singular neuter: mitt (e.g. mitt hus)
• Plural (all genders): mine (e.g. mine bøker, mine følelser)

Here, følelser is plural (many feelings), so the possessive must be mine:

• følelse – “feeling” (singular)
• følelser – “feelings” (plural)
• følelsene – “the feelings” (definite plural)
• følelsene mine – “my feelings”

Using min or mitt would be wrong here because they’re singular forms.

Where exactly should alle go? Could I say følelsene mine alle or mine alle følelser?

The natural positions for alle in this kind of phrase are:

1. With post‑posed possessive:

   • alle følelsene mine – “all my feelings”

2. With pre‑posed possessive:

   • alle mine følelser – “all my feelings”

The combinations you suggested are not idiomatic:

• følelsene mine alle – sounds wrong.
• mine alle følelser – sounds wrong.

So, keep to one of these patterns:

• alle følelsene mine (very common, especially spoken)
• alle mine følelser (slightly more formal/emphatic)

Why is bedre placed at the end of the sentence? Can it go somewhere else?

Norwegian often places short adverbs and comparative forms like bedre towards the end of the clause, especially after the object:

• … at jeg forsto alle følelsene mine bedre.

This word order is very natural:

• Subject: jeg
• Verb: forsto
• Object: alle følelsene mine
• Adverbial: bedre

Other possibilities:

• … at jeg forsto bedre alle følelsene mine.
  This is technically possible, but sounds less natural and slightly marked, as if you’re emphasizing bedre in a special way.

In everyday speech and writing, … forsto alle følelsene mine bedre is by far the most typical word order, and it’s the one you should prefer.

Why is it bedre and not something like mer godt?

Bedre is the irregular comparative form of god / godt (“good / well”), just like English has good → better rather than more good.

• Positive: god / godt – “good / well”
• Comparative: bedre – “better”
• Superlative: best – “best”

So in this sentence:

• forsto … bedre ≈ “understood … better”

Using mer godt would sound wrong or very strange here. When you want “better” in the sense of “to a greater or more satisfactory degree”, use bedre.