Jeg er uvanlig trøtt i dag.

I am unusually tired today.

Breakdown of Jeg er uvanlig trøtt i dag.

• jeg: I
• være: to be
• i dag: today
• trøtt: tired
• uvanlig: unusually

Questions & Answers about Jeg er uvanlig trøtt i dag.

What exactly does uvanlig mean here? Is it more like very or really?

Uvanlig literally means unusual.

In this sentence (Jeg er uvanlig trøtt i dag), it functions like an adverb and means unusually:

• Jeg er uvanlig trøtt i dag.
  = I am unusually tired today (more tired than I normally am).

So it’s not just very/really tired; it carries the idea that this amount of tiredness is not normal for you.

Why is uvanlig placed before trøtt?

In Norwegian, adverbs that modify an adjective are normally placed in front of that adjective:

• uvanlig trøtt – unusually tired
• veldig trøtt – very tired
• ganske trøtt – quite tired

Putting it after (trøtt uvanlig) would sound wrong here. So the word order uvanlig + adjective is the standard pattern.

Is uvanlig here an adjective or an adverb, and does it change form?

Here uvanlig is used as an adverb, because it modifies the adjective trøtt.
As an adverb, uvanlig does not change form.

As an adjective (describing a noun) it does change:

• en uvanlig dag – an unusual day
• et uvanlig problem – an unusual problem
• uvanlige dager – unusual days

But in uvanlig trøtt, it stays in the base form because it’s acting as an adverb.

What is the difference between trøtt and sliten?

Both can be translated as tired, but they have slightly different typical uses:

• trøtt – tired/sleepy, often from lack of sleep or mental fatigue

  • Jeg er trøtt. Jeg vil sove. – I’m tired. I want to sleep.

• sliten – worn out, exhausted, often from physical effort or long activity

  • Jeg er sliten etter trening. – I’m worn out after working out.

Your sentence Jeg er uvanlig trøtt i dag suggests you’re more sleepy or low-energy than normal.
Jeg er uvanlig sliten i dag would sound a bit more like unusually worn out (physically or generally).

How would the meaning change if I said veldig instead of uvanlig?

• Jeg er uvanlig trøtt i dag.
  = I am unusually tired today (more tired than I normally am; it’s out of the ordinary for you).

• Jeg er veldig trøtt i dag.
  = I am very/really tired today (a strong degree of tiredness, but without necessarily saying it’s unusual for you).

So uvanlig focuses on it being not normal for you, whereas veldig just intensifies the tiredness.

Why is it written i dag as two words, not idag?

In standard modern Norwegian (Bokmål and Nynorsk), i dag is written as two words.

You may sometimes see idag in informal writing or older texts, but it’s not the recommended standard spelling today. So:

• Correct: i dag
• Non‑standard/old: idag

Can I move i dag to the beginning and say I dag er jeg uvanlig trøtt?

Yes, that is completely correct and very natural:

• I dag er jeg uvanlig trøtt.
• Jeg er uvanlig trøtt i dag.

Both mean the same thing.

The only difference is slight emphasis:

• I dag er jeg uvanlig trøtt. – emphasizes today (as opposed to other days).
• Jeg er uvanlig trøtt i dag. – slightly more neutral; emphasis more on how tired you are.

Note that when you move i dag to the front, the verb er must still be the second element:
I dag er jeg … (Norwegian has this “verb in second position” rule in main clauses.)

Can I drop Jeg and just say Er uvanlig trøtt i dag?

In normal, correct Norwegian you should not drop Jeg here. The full sentence should be:

• Jeg er uvanlig trøtt i dag.

You might see Er uvanlig trøtt i dag in very informal contexts like text messages, social media, or notes, where people omit the subject, but grammatically it’s incomplete. For learning and normal speech/writing, keep Jeg.

Why is the verb er used? Could I say Jeg føler meg uvanlig trøtt i dag?

Er is the present tense of å være (to be), so:

• Jeg er uvanlig trøtt i dag.
  = I am unusually tired today.

You can say:

• Jeg føler meg uvanlig trøtt i dag.
  = I feel unusually tired today.

This is also correct and natural, but it explicitly mentions feeling.
Just like in English, I am tired is more common than I feel tired unless you want to emphasize that it’s a subjective feeling. So your original sentence with er is the most typical.

How do you pronounce trøtt and uvanlig?

Approximate Bokmål pronunciation (can vary by dialect):

• trøtt: /trœt/ or /trøt/

  • ø is like the vowel in German schön, or like the u in English burn but rounded.
  • The tt is a short t sound; the word is short and clipped.

• uvanlig: /ʉˈvɑːnli/ (roughly “oo-VAHN-lee”)

  • u here is a close, rounded vowel /ʉ/, like a very close oo but with lips more rounded and tongue a bit more fronted.
  • Stress is on the second syllable: u-VAN-lig.
  • g at the end is often weak or almost silent in many accents, so it can sound like uvanli.

Sentence rhythm: Jeg er uVANlig TRØTT i DAG, with main stress typically on uvanlig and trøtt, and a secondary stress on dag.

Does trøtt change form depending on gender or number?

Yes, trøtt is an adjective and can change form, but in your sentence it’s in its base form.

Predicative (after er/var etc.):

• Jeg er trøtt. – I am tired.
• Hun er trøtt. – She is tired.
• Vi er trøtte. – We are tired.
• Barna er trøtte. – The children are tired.

So:

• Singular subject → trøtt
• Plural subject → trøtte

In Jeg er uvanlig trøtt i dag, jeg is singular, so trøtt is correct.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral in tone?

Jeg er uvanlig trøtt i dag. is neutral in tone.

You can use it:

• in casual conversation
• at work
• in a message to friends or colleagues

It’s not slangy, and it’s not overly formal. It’s standard, everyday Norwegian.

Could I say only i dag er jeg trøtt without uvanlig? Is that still natural?

Yes:

• I dag er jeg trøtt.
  = Today I am tired.

This is very natural and common.
Adding uvanlig just adds the nuance that your tiredness is more than normal for you:

• I dag er jeg uvanlig trøtt. – Today I am unusually tired.