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Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Forkjølelsen gjør meg trøtt. - The cold makes me tired.

Hardcore Norwegian
/Lesson 44
/Forkjølelsen gjør meg trøtt.

Forkjølelsen gjør meg trøtt.

Forkjølelsen gjør meg trøtt.

The cold makes me tired.

Breakdown of Forkjølelsen gjør meg trøtt.

to make (to cause)

Questions & Answers about Forkjølelsen gjør meg trøtt.

Why is forkjølelsen in the definite form instead of just forkjølelse?

Norwegian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun instead of in front of it.

en forkjølelse = a cold (indefinite)
forkjølelsen = the cold (definite)

In this sentence you are talking about a specific cold that you currently have, so the definite form is natural:

Forkjølelsen gjør meg trøtt. = The cold (that I have) is making me tired.

If you wanted to talk in general, you could say:

Forkjølelse gjør deg trøtt. = A cold makes you tired / Colds make you tired (in general).

What gender is forkjølelse, and how does that affect the ending -en?

Forkjølelse is a masculine noun in Bokmål:

Indefinite singular: en forkjølelse (a cold)
Definite singular: forkjølelsen (the cold)
Indefinite plural: forkjølelser (colds)
Definite plural: forkjølelsene (the colds)

Because it’s masculine, the definite singular ending is -en.
If it were feminine, the definite could be -a (e.g. ei jente → jenta), but forkjølelse is treated as masculine, so you say forkjølelsen.

Can I change the word order and say Meg gjør forkjølelsen trøtt?

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No, that sounds wrong in Norwegian.

The normal word order here is:

Subject – Verb – Object – Complement
Forkjølelsen (subject) gjør (verb) meg (object) trøtt (object complement/adjective)

So:

Forkjølelsen gjør meg trøtt. ✅

Putting meg in front:

Meg gjør forkjølelsen trøtt. ❌

sounds ungrammatical and confusing to a native speaker. In main clauses, Norwegian strongly prefers Subject–Verb–Object word order, just like English.

What is the function of meg here? Could I leave it out?

Meg is the object pronoun me. The structure is:

gjøre + (object) + adjective
= to make (someone/something) (adjective)

So:

gjøre meg trøtt = make me tired
gjøre deg glad = make you happy
gjøre oss syke = make us ill

You normally cannot leave out the object here.
Forkjølelsen gjør trøtt sounds incomplete and unnatural. You need to say gjør meg trøtt (or deg, ham, henne, etc. depending on who is affected).

Why is it gjør and not gjøre in this sentence?

Gjøre is the infinitive form (to make, to do).
In the present tense, the verb is conjugated:

å gjøre (to do/make)
jeg gjør (I do/make)
du gjør (you do/make)
han/hun gjør (he/she does/makes)
det gjør (it does/makes)
forkjølelsen gjør (the cold does/makes)

Norwegian present tense doesn’t change with the subject, so it’s always gjør with any subject in the present tense. Gjøre only appears after å (infinitive) or in some special constructions.

How is forkjølelsen pronounced?

Approximate pronunciation (standard East Norwegian):

forkjølelsen: [for-(or fohr-)KJØØ-lels-en]
More technically: [fɔrˈçøːləs(ən)]

Key sounds:

r: often a guttural sound in the throat (like French r), especially in Eastern Norway.
kj: a soft sh-like sound produced more in the front of the mouth; similar to the ch in German ich.
ø: like the eu in French peu or German ö in schön.
The main stress is on -kjø-: for-KJØ-lelsen.

You don’t clearly pronounce every letter of -elsen; it’s fairly reduced in normal speech.

What is the difference between trøtt and sliten?

Both can translate to tired, but there’s a nuance:

trøtt
- Sleepy, fatigued, low energy
- Often because you need sleep or rest
- E.g. Jeg er trøtt. = I’m tired / sleepy.
sliten
- Worn out, exhausted, used up
- Often from hard work, stress, or long-term strain
- E.g. Jeg er sliten etter jobb. = I’m exhausted after work.

With a cold, trøtt is very natural: Forkjølelsen gjør meg trøtt.
You could also say Forkjølelsen gjør meg sliten, but that sounds more like it really wears you down and makes you feel run-down overall.

Is forkjølelse only “a cold” (illness), or can it also mean feeling cold like from low temperature?

Forkjølelse specifically means a cold as an illness (runny nose, sore throat, etc.).

For being cold due to temperature, you’d use something else:

Jeg er kald. = I’m (feeling) cold.
Jeg frøs i går. = I was freezing yesterday.
Jeg har blitt forkjølet. = I’ve caught a cold (illness).

So forkjølelse / forkjølelsen is always about the sickness, not simply feeling chilly.

Could I say Jeg er trøtt på grunn av forkjølelsen instead? Does it mean the same?

Yes, that’s a very natural alternative:

Jeg er trøtt på grunn av forkjølelsen.
= I am tired because of the cold.

Difference in structure:

Forkjølelsen gjør meg trøtt.
Focus: The cold as the active cause; literally The cold makes me tired.
Jeg er trøtt på grunn av forkjølelsen.
Focus: I am tired and you give the reason because of the cold.

Both are correct and commonly used; it’s mainly a stylistic choice.

Is the Norwegian present tense gjør here more like English “makes” or “is making”?

It can correspond to both, depending on context. Norwegian present tense is used for:

General truth / habit:
Forkjølelse gjør deg trøtt. = A cold makes you tired.
Something happening now / around now:
Forkjølelsen gjør meg trøtt. = The cold is making me tired.

So in this sentence, depending on how you interpret it, you could translate it as either:

The cold makes me tired.
or
The cold is making me tired.

The Norwegian form gjør doesn’t change; context decides which English tense is best.

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