Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Andre ganger føles fantasi tryggere enn verden der vi faktisk lever. - Other times imagination feels safer than the world where we actually live.

Andre ganger føles fantasi tryggere enn verden der vi faktisk lever.

Other times imagination feels safer than the world where we actually live.

Breakdown of Andre ganger føles fantasi tryggere enn verden der vi faktisk lever.

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Questions & Answers about Andre ganger føles fantasi tryggere enn verden der vi faktisk lever.

What does andre ganger literally mean, and why is andre used without an article?

Andre ganger literally means “other times”.

andre = “other(s)”
ganger = plural of gang (“time” in the sense of “occasion”)

In Norwegian you normally don’t use an article in this fixed expression. You just say:

Noen ganger = “sometimes” / “some times”
Andre ganger = “other times”

Both are plural and take no article. Using an article (de andre gangene, de gangene) would make it much more specific:

De andre gangene = “the other times” (specific, known times)

Is there a nuance difference between andre ganger and noen ganger?

Yes, there is a small nuance difference:

Noen ganger = “sometimes / occasionally”
- Neutral, just says that something happens on some occasions.
Andre ganger = “other times / at other times”
- Implies a contrast with some earlier-mentioned or implied situation.
- Often used like: “Sometimes X happens; other times Y happens.”

In your sentence, Andre ganger føles fantasi tryggere …, there is an implied contrast:
At certain times reality is fine, other times imagination feels safer.

Why is føles used here instead of er? What kind of verb is å føles?

Føles comes from å føles, which is the “middle voice” of å føle (“to feel”).

å føle = “to feel (something)”
- Jeg føler glede. = “I feel joy.”
å føles = “to feel / to seem (to someone)”
- Det føles riktig. = “It feels right.”
- Fantasi føles tryggere. = “Imagination feels safer.”

Using føles focuses on the subjective experience or perception, not on an objective fact.

If you said:

Fantasi er tryggere enn verden …
= “Fantasy is safer than the world …” (more like a statement of fact)

But:

Fantasi føles tryggere enn verden …
= “Fantasy feels safer than the world …” (emphasizing how it feels to someone).

Is fantasi the subject here, and why is there no article (not fantasien)?

Yes, fantasi is the subject of the sentence.

Structure:

Andre ganger = adverbial (“other times”)
føles = verb (“feels”)
fantasi = subject (“imagination / fantasy”)
tryggere enn verden der vi faktisk lever = rest of the predicate

There is no article because we’re talking about fantasy in general, as an abstract concept:

Fantasi føles tryggere … ≈ “(In general) fantasy feels safer …”

If you said:

Fantasien føles tryggere …

this would sound more like “the fantasy” or “the imagination” (a bit more specific or person‑bound, like “one’s imagination” or “the fantasy we have”). Both can be possible in context, but the bare noun makes it more general and abstract.

What’s the difference between fantasi and fantasien?

fantasi (no article)
- General or uncountable sense: “fantasy / imagination (as a concept)”.
- Fantasi er viktig. = “Imagination is important.”
fantasien (definite singular)
- “the fantasy / the imagination”. Either:
  - A particular fantasy/story, or
  - A more personal sense: “the imagination” you have.
- Barnas fantasi er fantastisk. = “The children’s imagination is fantastic.”

In your sentence, fantasi without the article fits, because we’re contrasting fantasy as a realm with the world where we live.

How does tryggere enn work? Why not mer trygg enn?

Tryggere is the comparative form of trygg (“safe”).

For many common adjectives in Norwegian, you form the comparative with -ere:

trygg → tryggere = “safe → safer”
snill → snillere = “kind → kinder”

You then compare with enn = “than”:

tryggere enn verden … = “safer than the world …”

Mer trygg is grammatically possible but unusual here. The default and most natural comparative for short adjectives like trygg is the -ere form: tryggere.

You mostly use mer + adjective for:

Many longer adjectives: interessant → mer interessant
Some that don’t take a natural -ere form.

What is the function of enn here, and how is it different from en (the article)?

enn = the conjunction “than” used in comparisons.
- tryggere enn verden … = “safer than the world …”
en / ei / et = indefinite articles (“a / an”) or the numeral “one”.

They are pronounced differently in careful speech, but can sound similar in fast speech. In writing they must be distinguished:

tryggere enn verden (correct)
tryggere en verden (wrong)

Why is there no article before verden? Why not enn den verden der vi faktisk lever?

Verden already contains the definite ending -en:

en verden = “a world”
verden = “the world”

So verden in the sentence already means “the world”. You don’t put den in front of it unless you have extra emphasis or a heavy modifier:

den verden vi drømmer om = “the world we dream of” (possible, but more marked)

In this sentence:

… tryggere enn verden der vi faktisk lever.
= “… safer than the world where we actually live.”

is the normal way to say it. Adding den would sound more pointed or stylistic and is not needed.

What does der mean here, and why is it used instead of som or hvor?

In verden der vi faktisk lever, the word der is a relative adverb, roughly “where / in which”. The phrase means:

verden der vi faktisk lever = “the world where we actually live”

Norwegian has several options for this kind of clause:

der – “where (there)” in relative clauses about place:
- Stedet der jeg vokste opp. = “The place where I grew up.”
som – a general relative pronoun (“that/which/who”):
- verden som vi faktisk lever i = “the world that we actually live in”
hvor – also “where”, but in written standard Norwegian it’s less common as a relative with nouns like sted, verden than der:
- verden hvor vi faktisk lever = also understandable, but feels a bit more formal or bookish.

So:

verden der vi faktisk lever is the most natural everyday choice.

Why is there no comma before der in verden der vi faktisk lever?

In modern Norwegian comma rules, you do not normally put a comma before a restrictive relative clause—a clause that is essential to identify which “world” you mean.

verden der vi faktisk lever
= “the world where we actually live” (this entire phrase is one noun phrase)

You would add a comma before a parenthetical/non‑restrictive relative clause (extra information only), e.g.:

Verden, der vi faktisk lever, er komplisert.
(This would be stylistically odd; I’m just illustrating the comma rule.)

In your sentence the clause clearly restricts verden (it tells you which world), so there is no comma.

Why is the word order der vi faktisk lever and not der faktisk vi lever?

In Norwegian subclauses (introduced by der, som, at, fordi, hvis, etc.), the normal word order is:

Subordinator (here: der)
Subject (here: vi)
Sentence adverb (here: faktisk)
Verb (here: lever)

So: der + vi + faktisk + lever.

You cannot move the subject after the adverb here:

❌ der faktisk vi lever (ungrammatical in standard Norwegian)

Compare:

Main clause: Vi lever faktisk her.
Subclause: … der vi faktisk lever.

The rule is: subclause = subject before verb, and sentence adverbs usually come right after the subject.

What does faktisk add here, and where else could it go in the sentence?

Faktisk = “actually / in fact / really”.

In der vi faktisk lever, it emphasizes that this is the world we really live in, as opposed to the imaginary one. It strengthens the contrast between fantasi and verden.

Typical places for faktisk in such a subclause:

der vi faktisk lever (very natural)
der vi lever faktisk (possible, but less neutral; sounds more like end‑stress or “we really do live”)

You cannot put it before the subject in a subclause:

❌ der faktisk vi lever (wrong in standard Norwegian)

Why is it lever and not bor in der vi faktisk lever?

Both å leve and å bo can relate to where you are, but they differ:

å leve = “to live” in the sense of to be alive / to have one’s life.
- Vi lever i en vanskelig tid. = “We live in a difficult time.”
- Der vi lever = “where we live (our lives)”
å bo = “to live / reside” in the sense of having one’s residence / home.
- Jeg bor i Oslo. = “I live in Oslo (I reside there).”

In this sentence we are contrasting life in reality with life in fantasy, so lever is the natural choice; it’s about the world we live our lives in, not simply our address.