Questions & Answers about Jeg er ferdig med e-posten, så jeg kan gå hjem.
Why does Norwegian say Jeg er ferdig (“I am finished”) instead of “I have finished”?
Norwegian commonly expresses “to be done/finished” with å være ferdig (literally “to be finished”). It’s a state/result expression, so er (present tense of å være) is natural:
- Jeg er ferdig. = I’m done / I’ve finished (in the sense that the task is completed).
You can also say Jeg har gjort ferdig e-posten (“I have finished the email”), but that’s a different construction (more action-focused).
What does ferdig med mean, and why is med used?
ferdig med + noun is a fixed, very common pattern meaning “done with + something.” med here is like “with”/“with regard to,” but you should treat ferdig med as a chunk:
- Jeg er ferdig med e-posten. = I’m done with the email.
You’ll hear the same with many tasks: ferdig med leksene, ferdig med rapporten, etc.
Is e-posten definite? Why does it have -en at the end?