Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Mikrofonen virker ikke i dag. - The microphone does not work today.

In this sentence you are talking about a specific microphone that both speaker and listener know about (for example, the one in the room), so the definite form mikrofonen is used.

Could you also say en mikrofon virker ikke i dag?

You can say En mikrofon virker ikke i dag, but it would mean:

En mikrofon virker ikke i dag = A microphone is not working today (some microphone, not specified)
Mikrofonen virker ikke i dag = The microphone is not working today (a particular one you have in mind)

In normal context, when you’re talking about the piece of equipment you’re using right now, you’d use the definite form mikrofonen.

What exactly does virker mean here? Is it “works” or “seems”?

The verb virker has two main meanings in Norwegian:

to function / to work (about devices, systems, solutions)
- Mikrofonen virker ikke. = The microphone doesn’t work / is not working.
to seem / to appear (about impressions)
- Han virker trøtt. = He seems tired.

In Mikrofonen virker ikke i dag, only the first meaning (to function) makes sense: the microphone isn’t functioning today.

Could you use a different verb, like fungerer or funker?

Yes, both are possible, with small differences in style:

Mikrofonen fungerer ikke i dag.
- Very similar meaning to virker, slightly more formal/technical.
Mikrofonen funker ikke i dag.
- Colloquial/slang; very common in spoken Norwegian, less in formal writing.

All three mean that the microphone is not working, but virker and fungerer are more neutral; funker is casual.

Why is the verb in the simple present (virker), when in English we’d usually say “is not working”?

Norwegian doesn’t use a separate continuous form like English “is working”. Instead, the simple present covers both:

Mikrofonen virker.
- The microphone works / The microphone is working.

The time phrase i dag (“today”) tells you that this is a current, temporary situation. So:

Mikrofonen virker ikke i dag.
= The microphone is not working today.

You don’t need anything extra to show the “-ing” idea.

Why is the negation ikke placed after virker and before i dag?

In a normal Norwegian main clause, the basic word order is:

Subject – verb – (other stuff) – ikke – (time, place, etc.)

So here:

Subject: Mikrofonen
Verb: virker
Negation: ikke
Time: i dag

That gives Mikrofonen virker ikke i dag.

Putting ikke before the verb (Mikrofonen ikke virker i dag) is wrong in this kind of statement.

Could you say i dag ikke instead of ikke i dag?

In this type of neutral sentence, ikke i dag is the natural order:

Mikrofonen virker ikke i dag. ✅

i dag ikke is generally odd or marked:

Mikrofonen virker i dag ikke. ❌ (unnatural in standard speech)

You might see i dag ikke in some very specific, poetic, or heavily emphasized contexts, but for everyday Norwegian, keep ikke before the time expression: ikke i dag.

Can i dag be written as one word, like idag?

The standard, correct spelling is i dag as two words.

i dag = today
i går = yesterday
i morgen = tomorrow

You may see idag in informal writing (texts, social media), but in proper Norwegian orthography it should be i dag.

Can you put i dag at the beginning, like I dag virker ikke mikrofonen? Is that correct?

Yes, that is correct, and it changes the emphasis slightly.

Mikrofonen virker ikke i dag.
- Neutral order; focus on the microphone not working.
I dag virker ikke mikrofonen.
- Emphasizes today: Today, (of all days) the microphone isn’t working.

Notice that when you move i dag to the front, Norwegian follows the V2 rule (the verb is second element):

First element: I dag
Second element (verb): virker
Subject: ikke mikrofonen (with ikke now after the verb)

Both are grammatically correct. Word order mainly affects emphasis.

Why don’t we say Den mikrofonen virker ikke i dag or Mikrofonen den virker ikke i dag, like “That microphone”?

You can use den in Norwegian, but it has a specific function:

den mikrofonen = that microphone / this microphone (with extra pointing/emphasis)
It also creates double definiteness (demonstrative + definite ending), which is normal when you use den or an adjective:
- den nye mikrofonen = the new microphone

In your sentence there is no special pointing (“that one over there”) or adjective, so the plain definite form mikrofonen is enough and most natural.

Mikrofonen virker ikke i dag. ✅ (normal)
Den mikrofonen virker ikke i dag. ✅ but now you’re clearly pointing to / contrasting that particular microphone.

How would you say “The microphone didn’t work today” in Norwegian?

You just change the verb to the past tense:

Mikrofonen virket ikke i dag.
= The microphone didn’t work today.

Same word order, same ikke position; only virker → virket.

Where would ikke go if there was a modal verb, like “can’t work today”?

With a modal verb (like kan, må, skal), ikke normally comes after the first (finite) verb:

Mikrofonen kan ikke virke i dag.
= The microphone can’t work today.

Structure:

Subject: Mikrofonen
Finite verb (modal): kan
Negation: ikke
Infinitive verb: virke
Time: i dag

How do you pronounce Mikrofonen virker ikke i dag?

Approximate pronunciation in a neutral Eastern Norwegian accent:

Mikrofonen → mee-kro-FOO-nen
- Stress on FO.
- Final -en is like a quick, light “en”.
virker → VEER-ker
- Short i (like in English sit).
- You hear both r and k in rk.
ikke → IK-keh
- Short i, double k gives a clear “kk” sound.
i dag → ee DAAG
- i like long “ee”.
- dag with a long a; the final g is often weak or almost silent: daa / daag.

Said smoothly, the sentence flows as:
mee-kro-FOO-nen VEER-ker IK-keh ee DAAG.