Jeg føler meg lat i dag og vil bare se på en serie.

Breakdown of Jeg føler meg lat i dag og vil bare se på en serie.

jeg
I
en
a
i dag
today
og
and
føle seg
to feel
se på
to watch
ville
want
bare
just
serien
the series
lat
lazy
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Questions & Answers about Jeg føler meg lat i dag og vil bare se på en serie.

Why is it “Jeg føler meg lat” and not just “Jeg føler lat”?

In Norwegian, when you talk about how you feel as a person (physically or emotionally), you normally use a reflexive pronoun:

  • Jeg føler meg lat. = I feel lazy.
  • Jeg føler meg trøtt. = I feel tired.
  • Jeg føler meg syk. = I feel sick.

Meg here literally means myself, so the structure is like “I feel myself lazy”, even though English doesn’t say it that way.

You cannot say:

  • Jeg føler lat.

Without meg, føler usually means to feel in the sense of touch:

  • Jeg føler noe under bordet. = I feel something under the table. (with my hand)
What’s the difference between “Jeg føler meg lat i dag” and “Jeg er lat i dag”?

Both are possible, but they have a slightly different nuance:

  • Jeg føler meg lat i dag.

    • More subjective.
    • Emphasizes your personal feeling right now.
    • Very natural when talking about mood or energy.
  • Jeg er lat i dag.

    • States it more as a fact, like “I am being lazy today.”
    • Can sound a bit more matter-of-fact or even self-critical, depending on tone.

In everyday speech, “Jeg føler meg lat i dag” sounds a bit softer and more about your mood; “Jeg er lat i dag” sounds more like a statement about your behavior or character today.

Why do we need “meg” in “Jeg føler meg lat”? Isn’t “jeg” enough?

Norwegian has a group of verbs that often take a reflexive pronoun (meg, deg, seg, oss, dere, seg) to talk about how you experience yourself:

  • Jeg føler meg lat. = I feel lazy.
  • Jeg kjenner meg trøtt. = I feel tired.
  • Jeg skammer meg. = I am ashamed.
  • Jeg gleder meg. = I’m looking forward to it / I’m excited.

The reflexive pronoun makes it clear that the feeling is about yourself, not about something else. This is just the normal idiomatic pattern in Norwegian; you need both jeg and meg here.

Why is it “i dag” as two words? Can I write “idag” as one word?

Standard, correct Norwegian is:

  • i dag (two words) = today

You will often see “idag” in informal writing (texts, social media), but in formal and standard Norwegian, you should write:

  • Jeg føler meg lat i dag.

So: two words is the recommended, correct spelling.

Can I move “i dag” to the beginning, like “I dag føler jeg meg lat …”?

Yes, and that’s very natural:

  • Jeg føler meg lat i dag og vil bare se på en serie.
  • I dag føler jeg meg lat og vil bare se på en serie.

Both are correct. The meaning is the same; you just change the emphasis:

  • “Jeg føler meg lat i dag …”
    Neutral, everyday word order.
  • “I dag føler jeg meg lat …”
    Emphasizes “today” more: As for today, I feel lazy…
What exactly does “vil” mean here in “vil bare se på en serie”?

Vil is a modal verb that usually means “want to” in this kind of sentence:

  • Jeg vil bare se på en serie. = I just want to watch a series.

Some nuances:

  • Vil can also mean “will” / “is going to” in other contexts, but:
    • To express a simple wish / desire, vil is very common.
    • You can also use har lyst til å:
      • Jeg har bare lyst til å se på en serie. (Slightly longer, a bit softer/colloquial)
Why is it “se på en serie” and not just “se en serie”?

With TV, films, series, videos, Norwegians usually say se på:

  • se på TV = watch TV
  • se på en film = watch a movie
  • se på en serie = watch a series
  • se på YouTube = watch YouTube

Literally it’s like “look at / watch”.
You can say se en film, se en serie, but se på is more idiomatic for watching something on a screen.

So in your sentence, “se på en serie” sounds very natural and is what people typically say.

What does “bare” mean in “vil bare se på en serie”, and where can it go in the sentence?

Here, bare means “just / only”:

  • Jeg vil bare se på en serie. = I just want to watch a series.

Typical placement is right after the verb it modifies:

  • Jeg vil bare se på en serie.
  • Jeg vil bare slappe av. = I just want to relax.

You should not say:

  • Jeg vil se bare på en serie.
    (sounds unnatural in Norwegian in this context)

So keep bare close to vil (or the main verb phrase) to sound natural.

Why is it “og” (and) in “i dag og vil bare se på en serie” and not “men” (but)?

The sentence is:

  • Jeg føler meg lat i dag og vil bare se på en serie.

Here, og simply connects two things that fit together:

  1. I feel lazy today
  2. (therefore) I just want to watch a series

If you used men (but), it would suggest a contrast:

  • Jeg føler meg lat i dag, men jeg må jobbe.
    = I feel lazy today, but I have to work.

So:

  • og = adds a related action/feeling.
  • men = contrasts two things.

In your original sentence, og is the natural choice.

What does “en serie” mean exactly? Is it like a TV show?

Yes, en serie is usually:

  • a TV series, a show, a Netflix series, etc.

Examples:

  • Jeg ser på en ny serie på Netflix.
    = I’m watching a new series on Netflix.
  • Har du en bra serie å anbefale?
    = Do you have a good series to recommend?

If you mean one episode, you’d say:

  • en episode = one episode
    Jeg så tre episoder i går. = I watched three episodes yesterday.
Why is it “en serie” (indefinite) and not “serien” (definite)?

Norwegian uses definite vs. indefinite articles much like English:

  • en serie = a series
  • serien = the series

In your sentence, you’re speaking in general: you don’t care which specific series, you just want to watch some series:

  • Jeg vil bare se på en serie.
    = I just want to watch a series / some show.

If you mean a specific show that both you and the listener know about:

  • Jeg vil bare se på serien.
    = I just want to watch the series. (that particular one)
How would I make this sentence negative? For example: “I don’t feel lazy today and don’t want to watch a series.”

You use ikke for negation:

  • Jeg føler meg ikke lat i dag og vil ikke se på en serie.
    = I don’t feel lazy today and don’t want to watch a series.

Word order tips:

  • After the conjugated verb in main clauses:
    • Jeg føler meg ikke lat.
    • Jeg vil ikke se på en serie.
Is the word order “vil bare se på en serie” fixed, or can I move things around?

The natural word order is:

  • Subject – verb – [small adverb] – main verb – object
  • Jeg vil bare se på en serie.

Some variations are possible, but many will sound odd or stiff:

  • Jeg vil bare se på en serie. (natural)
  • Jeg vil se på en serie bare i kveld. (if you add something like only tonight; bare then modifies i kveld)
  • Jeg bare vil se på en serie. (can occur in speech but is less neutral)
  • Jeg vil se bare på en serie. (sounds unnatural here)

For learners, sticking with “vil bare se på …” is the safest and most idiomatic choice.