Breakdown of Denne jakken passer ikke lenger.
Questions & Answers about Denne jakken passer ikke lenger.
Because jakken is the definite singular form of jakke.
- en jakke = a jacket
- jakken = the jacket
- denne jakken = this jacket
In Norwegian, when you use this/that with a noun, it is very common to use the definite form of the noun:
- denne boka = this book
- denne bilen = this car
- denne jakken = this jacket
So denne jakken is the normal way to say this jacket.
Denne means this for common-gender singular nouns.
Norwegian has grammatical gender, and jakke is usually a common-gender noun:
- en jakke = a jacket
Because of that, the correct demonstrative is denne:
- denne jakken = this jacket
Compare:
- denne bilen = this car
- dette huset = this house
- disse skoene = these shoes
So denne is used because jakken is singular and common gender.
Here, passer means fits.
The verb å passe can have several meanings in Norwegian depending on context, for example:
- fit: Jakken passer. = The jacket fits.
- suit: Den fargen passer deg. = That color suits you.
- look after / watch: Kan du passe barna? = Can you watch the children?
In Denne jakken passer ikke lenger, the meaning is clearly about physical fit: the jacket does not fit anymore.
Because this is a complete sentence in the present tense, and Norwegian verbs must be conjugated for tense.
The infinitive is:
- å passe = to fit
The present tense is:
- passer = fits
So:
- Denne jakken passer. = This jacket fits.
- Denne jakken passer ikke lenger. = This jacket no longer fits.
Ikke lenger means no longer / not anymore.
It shows that something used to be true before, but is not true now.
So:
- Denne jakken passer ikke lenger.
means that the jacket used to fit, but now it does not fit.
You can use ikke lenger in many sentences:
- Jeg bor ikke lenger i Oslo. = I no longer live in Oslo.
- Han jobber ikke lenger her. = He no longer works here.
In a main clause, Norwegian usually puts the finite verb in second position, and ikke normally comes after that verb.
So the pattern is:
- subject + verb + ikke
Here:
- Denne jakken = subject
- passer = verb
- ikke lenger = negation + time expression
So:
- Denne jakken passer ikke lenger.
This is normal Norwegian word order.
Compare:
- Jeg forstår ikke. = I do not understand.
- Han kommer ikke i dag. = He is not coming today.
- Denne jakken passer ikke lenger. = This jacket no longer fits.
Sometimes yes, but ikke lenger is the best choice here.
Both can sometimes be translated as no longer / not anymore, but they are not always interchangeable.
- ikke lenger is very common for something that used to be true but is not true now
- ikke mer often means not anymore / no more, sometimes with a slightly different feel
For this sentence, native speakers would most naturally say:
- Denne jakken passer ikke lenger.
You may also hear passer ikke mer in some dialects or informal speech, but ikke lenger is the safer standard choice for learners.
It can mean different things in different contexts, but in this sentence most people will understand it as physical fit.
So the most natural interpretation is:
- the jacket is too small, too big, or otherwise does not fit your body anymore
If you wanted to emphasize style or appearance, context would usually make that clear. For example:
- Den stilen passer meg ikke lenger. = That style doesn’t suit me anymore.
Without extra context, Denne jakken passer ikke lenger is usually understood as This jacket no longer fits.
Actually, English and Norwegian are doing the same thing here: both use the present tense.
- passer = fits
The sentence describes a current situation:
- before: it fit
- now: it does not fit
That is why Norwegian uses the present tense, not the past.
Yes. Jakka is a common colloquial form of jakken.
In Bokmål, many feminine nouns can appear in two acceptable definite forms, depending on style and preference:
- jakken
- jakka
Both can be correct, but they may sound slightly different in style:
- jakken often sounds a bit more neutral or conservative
- jakka often sounds more everyday and spoken
So both of these can be fine:
- Denne jakken passer ikke lenger.
- Denne jakka passer ikke lenger.
In a yes/no question, Norwegian usually puts the verb before the subject.
Statement:
- Denne jakken passer ikke lenger.
- This jacket no longer fits.
Question:
- Passer denne jakken ikke lenger?
- Does this jacket no longer fit?
However, that version can sound a bit marked or heavy. In real speech, people often prefer something like:
- Passer ikke denne jakken lenger?
- Passer denne jakken ikke lenger nå?
Learners should mainly notice the important pattern: in questions, the verb often comes before the subject.
Yes, it is related in meaning to English longer, but in this expression ikke lenger it means no longer.
Pronunciation will vary a bit by dialect, but in standard Eastern Norwegian it is roughly like:
- lenger ≈ leng-er
A few tips:
- the ng is like the sound in English sing
- the e sounds are not exactly like English vowels
- the r is clearly pronounced in many varieties of Norwegian, though dialects differ
The most important thing for a learner is to recognize ikke lenger as a fixed and very common expression meaning no longer.
Yes, absolutely. It is short, natural, and idiomatic.
A native speaker could easily say this in everyday life, for example when talking about clothes that used to fit but do not now.
Other natural variations include:
- Jakken passer ikke lenger. = The jacket no longer fits.
- Denne jakka passer ikke lenger.
- Den passer ikke lenger. = It no longer fits.
So the original sentence is a very good example of normal Norwegian.