Etter øvelsen føler jeg meg mindre stresset.

After the exercise I feel less stressed.

Breakdown of Etter øvelsen føler jeg meg mindre stresset.

• jeg: I
• etter: after
• føle seg: to feel
• øvelsen: the exercise
• mindre stresset: less stressed

Questions & Answers about Etter øvelsen føler jeg meg mindre stresset.

Why is it øvelsen and not øvelse at the start of the sentence?

Øvelse is the basic form (indefinite singular) and means “an exercise / a practice / a drill.”
Øvelsen is the definite singular form and means “the exercise / the practice.”

In Norwegian you normally use the definite form when both speaker and listener know which specific exercise/practice you are talking about, for example:

• Etter øvelsen = After the (specific) exercise/practice (we just had / we know about)
• Etter en øvelse = After an exercise (one of many, not specified which)

So øvelsen is used because it refers to a particular exercise or practice session already known from context.

What gender is øvelse, and how do its forms work?

Øvelse is usually treated as a feminine noun in Bokmål, but can also be treated as masculine. The forms are:

Feminine pattern (very common in everyday language):

• en øvelse / ei øvelse – an exercise
• øvelsen – the exercise
• øvelser – exercises
• øvelsene – the exercises

Masculine pattern (also correct in Bokmål):

• en øvelse – an exercise
• øvelsen – the exercise
• øvelser – exercises
• øvelsene – the exercises

In this sentence, øvelsen is the definite singular, regardless of whether you treat it as feminine or masculine.

Why does the verb come before jeg? Why is it føler jeg meg and not jeg føler meg?

Norwegian has a “verb in second position” rule (called V2).
That means the finite verb (here: føler) must be the second element in a main clause.

In the sentence:

• Etter øvelsen – first element (a time expression)
• føler – second element (the verb)
• jeg – third element (the subject)

So when you start the sentence with a time expression (Etter øvelsen), the verb must come next, and the subject (jeg) moves after the verb:

• Etter øvelsen føler jeg meg …

If you don’t move the time expression to the front, you can say:

• Jeg føler meg mindre stresset etter øvelsen.

Both are correct; the word order just changes because of what comes first.

Why do we need meg after føler? Could I just say føler jeg mindre stresset?

You need meg because føle seg is a reflexive verb when it means “to feel (a certain way)” emotionally or physically.

• å føle seg = to feel (oneself) + adjective
• jeg føler meg mindre stresset = I feel less stressed

Without meg, føler usually means “to feel (something) with your senses or emotions”:

• Jeg føler smerte. – I feel pain.
• Jeg føler kulde. – I feel cold (as a sensation).

So in “I feel less stressed”, Norwegian normally uses the reflexive:

• Jeg føler meg mindre stresset.

*Jeg føler mindre stresset is ungrammatical.

What is the difference between jeg føler meg mindre stresset and jeg er mindre stresset?

Both can be translated as “I am less stressed”, but there is a nuance:

• Jeg føler meg mindre stresset

  • Focuses on your subjective experience.
  • Literally: I feel myself less stressed.
  • Often used to describe how you perceive your own state at that moment.

• Jeg er mindre stresset

  • A more neutral statement of fact about your state.
  • Could be used when comparing two situations:
    
    • I dag er jeg mindre stresset enn i går. – Today I am less stressed than yesterday.

In many contexts they are interchangeable, but føler meg highlights that it’s your own feeling.

Why is it mindre stresset and not mindre stress?

Mindre is a comparative form meaning “less” and it usually goes with an adjective or an uncountable noun.

Here, stresset is an adjective meaning “stressed.”
So:

• mindre stresset = less stressed (describing how you are)

Stress by itself is a noun:

• Jeg har mindre stress. – I have less stress. (grammatically possible, but sounds unusual; Norwegians usually phrase it differently)

To describe how you feel, you want an adjective, so mindre stresset is correct.

What exactly is stresset here? Is it a verb form or an adjective?

In this sentence, stresset functions as an adjective, meaning “stressed.”

Formally, stresset can be seen as a past participle of å stresse (“to stress”), which has become lexicalized as an adjective, just like in English:

• English: stressed (past participle / adjective)
• Norwegian: stresset (past participle / adjective)

You use it just like other adjectives:

• Jeg er stresset. – I am stressed.
• Hun virker stresset. – She seems stressed.
• Jeg føler meg mindre stresset. – I feel less stressed.

Could I say stressa instead of stresset?

Yes, stressa is very common in informal spoken Norwegian and in some informal writing. It is a colloquial form of stresset.

• Jeg føler meg mindre stressa. – Very natural in everyday speech.
• Jeg føler meg mindre stresset. – More neutral / standard written Bokmål.

Both will be understood; stresset is the safer choice in formal writing or exams.

Why is there no comma after Etter øvelsen?

In modern Norwegian, you normally do not put a comma after a short fronted adverbial like Etter øvelsen.

So:

• Etter øvelsen føler jeg meg mindre stresset. ✅
• Etter øvelsen, føler jeg meg mindre stresset. ❌ (looks English-influenced)

Commas in Norwegian are more about clause boundaries than about every pause in speech, so the English habit of adding a comma after introductory time phrases doesn’t carry over.

Could I say Etter øvelsen er jeg mindre stresset instead of føler jeg meg mindre stresset?

Yes, that is grammatically correct and natural:

• Etter øvelsen er jeg mindre stresset. – After the exercise, I am less stressed.

The difference is:

• føler jeg meg mindre stresset – highlights your subjective feeling.
• er jeg mindre stresset – more neutral description of your state.

Both obey the V2 rule: after Etter øvelsen, the verb (er / føler) is in second position.