Takk, men jeg gidder ikke prate.

Thanks, but I cannot be bothered to chat.

Breakdown of Takk, men jeg gidder ikke prate.

• jeg: I
• men: but
• ikke: not
• takk: thanks; thank you

Questions & Answers about Takk, men jeg gidder ikke prate.

What does gidder mean in this sentence?

Gidder is the present tense of å gidde. It is a very common Norwegian verb used when you mean something like:

• can’t be bothered
• don’t feel like
• don’t have the willingness/energy for it

So jeg gidder ikke prate is not just a neutral I don’t want to talk. It has a stronger feeling of I can’t be bothered talking or I’m not up for talking.

It often sounds a bit blunt, depending on tone and context.

Why is it jeg gidder ikke and not jeg ikke gidder?

This is because Norwegian main clauses usually follow the V2 rule: the finite verb comes early in the sentence, usually in second position.

So in a normal main clause:

• Jeg gidder ikke prate.

The order is:

• jeg = subject
• gidder = finite verb
• ikke = negation
• prate = infinitive/main action

Compare:

• Jeg kommer ikke.
• Han vil ikke spise.
• Vi kan ikke dra.

In subordinate clauses, the order changes:

• ... fordi jeg ikke gidder prate.

So jeg ikke gidder would be right only in certain subordinate-clause contexts, not here.