Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Jeg klarer ikke å logge inn, selv om jeg har riktig passord. - I can’t manage to log in, even though I have the correct password.

Klarer comes from the verb å klare, which literally means to manage (to do something), to succeed in doing something, or to be able to handle something.

In this sentence:

Jeg klarer ikke å logge inn
= I do not manage to log in / I’m unable to log in.

Compare with kan (from å kunne), which is can / be able to in a more general or potential sense:

Jeg kan ikke logge inn
= I can’t log in (I’m not able to, for some reason).

In many contexts, klarer ikke and kan ikke both translate as can’t, but:

klarer ikke often suggests I’m trying but I can’t succeed (there is an attempt, but it fails).
kan ikke can be more neutral or about possibility/permission/ability (e.g. technical block, rules, skills).

So in the original sentence, klarer ikke nicely fits the idea that the system still won’t let you in, even though you have the right password.

Why is ikke placed after klarer and not before it?

In a normal main clause with a subject and a verb, Norwegian word order is:

Subject – Verb – (Other elements)

Negation (ikke) comes after the conjugated verb in simple statements.

So we get:

Jeg (subject)
klarer (conjugated verb)
ikke (negation)
å logge inn (infinitive phrase)

→ Jeg klarer ikke å logge inn.

Putting ikke before klarer (Jeg ikke klarer å logge inn) is ungrammatical in standard Norwegian.

Why do we need å before logge?

Å is the infinitive marker in Norwegian, similar to to in English infinitives:

å logge = to log (in)
å spise = to eat
å sove = to sleep

After many verbs that take another verb in the infinitive, you must use å:

Jeg prøver å logge inn. – I’m trying to log in.
Jeg liker å lese. – I like to read.
Jeg klarer ikke å logge inn. – I’m not able to log in.

So in this pattern klarer (ikke) å + infinitive, å is required.

Why is it logge inn and not just logge?

Logge inn is a verb + particle construction:

logge = to log (from English log)
inn = in

Together, å logge inn specifically means to log in / to log on.

Without inn, å logge is more like to log, to record in a log (and is not the common way to say log in to a website). In real usage, for accessing an account, Norwegians say:

logge inn – log in
(sometimes also logge på, especially for networks or services)

So logge inn is the natural phrase for log in.

Is å logge inn an infinitive phrase? How is it structured?

Yes, å logge inn is an infinitive phrase:

å = infinitive marker
logge = main verb in infinitive form
inn = particle (like in in log in)

In the clause Jeg klarer ikke å logge inn, the structure is:

Main clause verb: klarer
Complement: å logge inn (the action you can’t manage to do)

So å logge inn works as the thing that you are (not) able to do.

What does selv om mean, and how is it different from men?

Selv om means even though / although. It introduces a subordinate clause that expresses a contrast, often something surprising or unexpected:

… selv om jeg har riktig passord.
= … even though I have the correct password.

Men just means but and joins two main clauses, not a subordinate clause:

Jeg har riktig passord, men jeg klarer ikke å logge inn.
= I have the correct password, but I can’t log in.

Compare:

Jeg klarer ikke å logge inn, selv om jeg har riktig passord.
– Emphasis on the unexpected situation: It’s surprising that I still can’t log in, given that the password is right.
Jeg har riktig passord, men jeg klarer ikke å logge inn.
– A simpler contrast: I have the right password, but I still can’t log in.

Both are correct; selv om makes the second part clearly subordinate and often adds a nuance of in spite of.

Why is there a comma before selv om?

Norwegian uses a comma before most subordinate clauses, and selv om introduces such a clause.

Pattern in the sentence:

Main clause: Jeg klarer ikke å logge inn
Subordinate clause: (selv om) jeg har riktig passord

So you write:

Jeg klarer ikke å logge inn, selv om jeg har riktig passord.

If you reverse the order, you still use a comma:

Selv om jeg har riktig passord, klarer jeg ikke å logge inn.

That comma marks the boundary between the subordinate clause and the main clause.

What is the difference between selv om and selvom? Are both correct?

You may see both in real life, but:

selv om (two words) is the standard, correct spelling in Bokmål.
selvom (one word) appears in informal writing, but is not the recommended standard.

So for correct written Norwegian, especially in anything formal or semi-formal, use selv om.

Why is it riktig passord and not riktige passord or det riktige passordet?

Several things are going on: number, definiteness, and adjective agreement.

Passord is a neuter noun (et passord).
In your sentence, we’re talking about one password in a general, indefinite way:
- riktig passord ≈ the correct password in English, but grammatically it’s a correct password (indefinite).

Form breakdown:

et passord – a password
passordet – the password
riktig passord – correct password (indefinite)
det riktige passordet – the correct password (definite, with article and adjective agreement)

So you could also say:

… selv om jeg har det riktige passordet.

That’s more literally even though I have the correct password. The original sentence is just a bit more compact and still perfectly natural.

Riktige passord would be plural:

riktige passord – correct passwords (indefinite plural)
de riktige passordene – the correct passwords

Is passord singular or plural here, and how do I form the plural?

In jeg har riktig passord, passord is singular, indefinite:

et passord – a password
passordet – the password

The plural of passord is the same word (no extra ending):

flere passord – several passwords
alle passordene – all the passwords (definite plural adds -ene to the concept, but the base form stays passord)

Examples:

Jeg har flere passord. – I have several passwords.
Jeg husker ikke alle passordene mine. – I don’t remember all my passwords.

How would the word order change if I start the sentence with selv om?

If you start with the selv om clause, you must still follow Norwegian V2 word order (the verb is the second element) in the main clause.

So:

Selv om jeg har riktig passord, klarer jeg ikke å logge inn.

Breakdown of the main clause after the comma:

1st element: whole subordinate clause (already placed before the comma)
2nd element (first in the main clause): klarer (verb)
Then subject: jeg
Then negation and rest: ikke å logge inn

You cannot say:

✗ Selv om jeg har riktig passord, jeg klarer ikke å logge inn.

That would violate the V2 rule for the main clause.

Could I say Jeg kan ikke logge inn, selv om jeg har riktig passord instead? Is it still correct?

Yes, that is grammatically correct and sounds natural:

Jeg kan ikke logge inn, selv om jeg har riktig passord.

Compared to Jeg klarer ikke å logge inn…, the nuance is slightly different:

klarer ikke å logge inn – suggests trying and failing, not managing.
kan ikke logge inn – more neutral “cannot log in” (not able to, for some reason).

In everyday speech, both are used for this situation, and the difference is often subtle. The original with klarer ikke å can feel a bit more like The system just won’t let me in, even though I’m doing it right.

Is there another common way to say “I can’t log in” in Norwegian?

Yes, another very common phrase is:

Jeg får ikke logget inn.

Literally: I don’t get (to) log in, but idiomatically: I can’t log in / I’m unable to log in.

Nuances:

Jeg klarer ikke å logge inn. – I don’t manage to log in.
Jeg kan ikke logge inn. – I can’t log in.
Jeg får ikke logget inn. – I’m not able to get logged in / The system won’t let me log in.

All three are natural in this context; får ikke logget inn is very common for tech issues.