Jeg er fornøyd med dagen.

I am satisfied with the day.

Breakdown of Jeg er fornøyd med dagen.

• jeg: I
• være: to be
• med: with
• dagen: the day
• fornøyd: content

Questions & Answers about Jeg er fornøyd med dagen.

What does fornøyd actually mean? Is it more like happy or satisfied?

Fornøyd is closest to satisfied / content.

• Jeg er fornøyd ≈ I’m satisfied / I’m content.
• It can include a mild feeling of happiness, but it’s not as emotional as very happy or thrilled.
• It usually implies: Things are good enough; I have no complaints.

So Jeg er fornøyd med dagen is more like I’m (quite) satisfied with the day rather than I’m super happy about the day.

Why is it fornøyd med dagen and not fornøyd med dag?

Dag (day) is used in the definite singular form here: dagen = the day.

• dag = day
• dagen = the day

In this sentence, you are talking about a specific day (usually today, or a day you’ve just experienced). In Norwegian, a specific day is usually put in the definite form, so:

• Jeg er fornøyd med dagen. = I am satisfied with *the day (this day).*
• Saying fornøyd med dag would sound ungrammatical in this context.

Could I say Jeg liker dagen instead? What’s the difference?

You can say Jeg liker dagen, but it has a different nuance:

• Jeg er fornøyd med dagen.
  → I’m satisfied with the day / I have no complaints about how the day went.
• Jeg liker dagen.
  → I like the day (I find it pleasant / enjoyable).

Fornøyd med dagen focuses more on your evaluation of how the day has turned out.
Liker dagen focuses more on liking, as in finding it nice or enjoyable.

Why do we use the preposition med after fornøyd?

The adjective fornøyd normally takes the preposition med when you specify what you’re satisfied with:

• fornøyd med noe = satisfied with something
  
  • fornøyd med maten – satisfied with the food
  • fornøyd med jobben – satisfied with the job
  • fornøyd med dagen – satisfied with the day

Using another preposition (for, over, etc.) here would sound wrong or at least very unusual. The combination fornøyd med is simply the standard pattern.

Could I say fornøyd over dagen or fornøyd for dagen?

In this sentence, no. The natural choice is med:

• ✔ fornøyd med dagen
• ✘ fornøyd over dagen
• ✘ fornøyd for dagen

You might see fornøyd over in some older or more formal styles, usually in different contexts, but in modern everyday Norwegian, when you say you’re satisfied with something, you use med.

Why not i dag? What’s the difference between med dagen and med i dag?

Both exist, but they mean slightly different things:

• Jeg er fornøyd med dagen.
  → General evaluation of the whole day (how it has gone / is going).
• Jeg er fornøyd med i dag.
  → Grammatical, but less common; sounds a bit more like I’m satisfied with today (as a time period).

In practice, when talking about “how the day has been,” Norwegians almost always say med dagen.

Is dag masculine, feminine, or neuter, and how does it decline?

Dag is masculine. The usual forms are:

• Indefinite singular: en dag – a day
• Definite singular: dagen – the day
• Indefinite plural: dager – days
• Definite plural: dagene – the days

In Jeg er fornøyd med dagen, we use dagen because we are talking about one specific day.

How do you pronounce fornøyd and dagen?

Approximate pronunciation (Bokmål, standard Eastern Norwegian):

• fornøyd: [for-nøyd]

  • fo like for in English (but shorter)
  • ø is like the vowel in French bleu or German schön
  • øy is a diphthong, similar to English oy in boy but with rounded lips
  • Final d is usually silent in normal speech

• dagen: [da-gen]

  • da like da in dark (but shorter)
  • g is a hard g (like go)
  • Final en is pronounced, but lightly: -en

So you might hear something like: “jaie for-NØY’ med DA-gen”.

Can I change the word order and say Med dagen er jeg fornøyd?

Yes, grammatically that’s fine:

• Med dagen er jeg fornøyd.

However, it sounds more emphatic or poetic, not like everyday neutral speech. The most natural, neutral version is:

• Jeg er fornøyd med dagen.

Can I use fornøyd with people, for example Jeg er fornøyd med deg? Is that rude?

Yes, fornøyd med can be used with people:

• Jeg er fornøyd med deg. – I’m satisfied with you.

Context is important:

• In a formal / hierarchical situation (boss to employee, parent to child), it can sound a bit patronizing, like a judgment: You meet my standards.
• In a close / playful situation, it can be affectionate or teasing.

To avoid sounding condescending, you might say instead:

• Jeg er veldig glad i deg. – I’m very fond of you / I love you.
• Jeg setter pris på deg. – I appreciate you.

Is fornøyd related to a verb? Is it a kind of past participle?

Yes. Fornøyd is historically related to the verb å fornøye (seg) (to please / to enjoy oneself), though that verb is now rare/old-fashioned.

In modern use, fornøyd behaves like an adjective, and it inflects like this:

• en fornøyd mann – a satisfied man
• ei / en fornøyd kvinne – a satisfied woman
• et fornøyd barn – a satisfied child
• fornøyde mennesker – satisfied people

Even though it has participle origins, you can just treat it as a regular adjective meaning satisfied / content.

How do I say I was satisfied with the day or I will be satisfied with the day?

You just change the verb å være (to be):

• I am satisfied with the day.
  → Jeg er fornøyd med dagen.

• I was satisfied with the day.
  → Jeg var fornøyd med dagen.

• I will be satisfied with the day.
  → Jeg vil være fornøyd med dagen.

The adjective fornøyd and the noun dagen stay the same; only the verb changes.

How can I make the sentence stronger, like “I’m really / very satisfied with the day”?

You can add an adverb before fornøyd:

• Jeg er veldig fornøyd med dagen. – I’m very satisfied with the day.
• Jeg er kjempefornøyd med dagen. – I’m really / super satisfied with the day.
• Jeg er ganske fornøyd med dagen. – I’m quite/somewhat satisfied with the day.

Word order: er + [adverb] + fornøyd is the normal pattern.