Jeg gidder ikke vente.

Gidder is the present tense of the verb å gidde.

A quick mini-paradigm:

• å gidde — infinitive
• gidder — present
• gadd — past
• har giddet — perfect

This verb is used when someone does or does not feel like making the effort to do something. It often has the nuance of can’t be bothered.

Because gidder is the finite verb in a main clause, and in Norwegian main clauses the finite verb usually comes early, with ikke after it.

So the structure is:

• Jeg — subject
• gidder — finite verb
• ikke — negation
• vente — infinitive

This is the normal pattern in a main clause:

• Jeg kommer ikke
• Jeg vil ikke gå
• Jeg gidder ikke vente

If this were inside a subordinate clause, the position of ikke would change:

• Han sier at jeg ikke gidder vente

Because only gidder is conjugated here.
The second verb, vente, stays in the infinitive.

That is very common in Norwegian when one verb is followed by another:

• Jeg vil spise
• Jeg kan komme
• Jeg gidder vente

So:

• gidder = the verb that carries tense
• vente = the action being talked about

Using venter here would be wrong:

• Jeg gidder ikke venter ❌

Yes — Jeg gidder ikke å vente is also possible.

With gidde, both patterns occur:

• Jeg gidder ikke vente
• Jeg gidder ikke å vente

The version without å often sounds a bit more direct and conversational.
The version with å is also very common and completely natural.

So as a learner, it is useful to recognize both.

Not one of the core modal verbs like kan, skal, vil, må, but it often behaves a bit like one.

That is why it commonly appears with another verb in the infinitive:

• Jeg gidder ikke lese
• Hun gidder ikke komme
• Vi gidder ikke vente

So even if grammar books may not always list it together with the classic modals, it often works in a similar way in real sentences.

They are close, but not identical.

• Jeg vil ikke vente = I do not want to wait
• Jeg gidder ikke vente = I can’t be bothered to wait / I don’t feel like waiting

So gidder ikke often suggests:

• lack of motivation
• unwillingness to make the effort
• impatience or annoyance

It can sound a bit stronger or more dismissive than just vil ikke.

This is a very common question, because they can overlap in English.

• Jeg gidder ikke vente = I can’t be bothered to wait
• Jeg orker ikke vente = I don’t have the energy/patience to wait

A simple way to remember it:

• gidde = willingness / bother
• orke = energy / capacity / stamina

So if someone is tired, overwhelmed, or drained, orke is often better.
If someone just does not feel like doing it, gidde is often better.

Yes, it is fairly everyday and informal.

It is very natural in speech and casual writing, but it can sound a bit blunt depending on context.

For example:

• Jeg gidder ikke vente — casual, direct
• Jeg har ikke lyst til å vente — softer, more neutral
• Jeg ønsker ikke å vente — more formal or deliberate

So the original sentence is natural, but it is not especially polite or formal.

Yes, vente can stand on its own.

• vente = to wait
• vente på = to wait for someone/something

So Jeg gidder ikke vente is fine if the object is general, obvious, or unimportant.

If you want to say what you are waiting for, you usually add på:

• Jeg gidder ikke vente på bussen
• Jeg gidder ikke vente på deg
• Jeg gidder ikke vente på svar

You would usually say:

• Jeg gadd ikke vente
• Jeg gadd ikke å vente

Here gadd is the past tense of å gidde.

You can also make a perfect form:

• Jeg har ikke giddet å vente
• Jeg har ikke giddet vente

So the pattern stays the same; only gidde changes form.