# Norwegian: Nå skal jeg skrive litt på engelsk



## Grefsen

Typically when I write messages to my friends in Norway I attempt to write at least some of the text in Norwegian.  Here is a sentence I sometimes use as sort of a transition between my attempts at writing only in Norwegian and something else that is usually a combination of Norwegian and English (Norwenglish perhaps ):

*Nå skal jeg skriv litt på engelsk fordi jeg er ikke så flink til skrive bare på norsk. *

Since I have been using this sentence or slight variations of it so often I thought I would finally check with the Norwegian experts in this forum to see if this sentence is grammatically correct. 

På forhånd takk!!


----------



## kirsitn

Grefsen said:


> *Nå skal jeg skrive litt på engelsk,[/COLOR] for(di) jeg er ikke så flink til å skrive bare på norsk. *



To me it sounds more natural to say "for jeg er ikke så flink" instead of "fordi jeg er ikke så flink". Another option is "siden jeg ikke er så flink".


----------



## Grefsen

kirsitn said:


> To me it sounds more natural to say "for jeg er ikke så flink" instead of "fordi jeg er ikke så flink". Another option is "siden jeg ikke er så flink".



*Tusen takk igjen for hjelpen kirsitn.  *

Lately I've been using *"Nå skal jeg skrive litt på engelsk, for jeg er ikke så flink til å skrive bare på norsk**"* quite often and have been adding *enn**å* at the end of the sentence.   Is this a good way to express that I am going to write a little in English, because I'm not "yet" good enough with my language skills to write *bare på norsk* (only in Norwegian)?


----------



## kirsitn

Adding "ennå" at the end is ok, but if you want to say that you're not good enough you should say "..., for jeg er ikke flink nok til å skrive bare på norsk ennå."

In this sentence it actually sounds even better to me if you move the "ennå" closer to the beginning of the clause; "..., for jeg er ennå ikke flink nok til å (kunne) skrive bare på norsk."


----------



## oskhen

kirsitn said:


> In this sentence it actually sounds even better to me if you move the "ennå" closer to the beginning of the clause; "..., for jeg er ennå ikke flink nok til å (kunne) skrive bare på norsk."


 
I suggest "for jeg er ennå ikke flink nok til bare å skrive på norsk." It sounds better, I think. 

Couldn't one replace "ennå" with "stadig", by the way? I think that would sound more "proper".


----------



## Grefsen

*Tusen takk for hjelpen kirsitn og oskhen!* 



kirsitn said:


> Adding "ennå" at the end is ok, but if you want to say that you're not good enough you should say "..., for jeg er ikke flink nok til å skrive bare på norsk ennå."



Would the English translation for this be "..., for I am not clever enough to write only in Norwegian yet."?
 


kirsitn said:


> In this sentence it actually sounds even better to me if you move the "ennå" closer to the beginning of the clause; "..., for jeg er ennå ikke flink nok til å (kunne) skrive bare på norsk."



Would the above mean basically the same with or without *"kunne"? *



oskhen said:


> Couldn't one replace "ennå" with "stadig", by the way? I think that would sound more "proper".



I just looked up *"stadig" *using TriTrans and here are some of the different translations given:  

attached, ever, immobile, unmovable


----------



## elroy

Grefsen said:


> Would the English translation for this be "..., for I am not clever enough to write only in Norwegian yet."?


 Yes (but I would prefer "smart" to "clever"), and that's why it sounds better if you move "ennå."  It's the same as in English:

I am not clever enough to write only in Norwegian yet = sounds awkward
I am not yet clever enough to write only in Norwegian = sounds better


> Would the above mean basically the same with or without *"kunne"? *


Basically, yes.  Again, it's the same as in English.  You can say either "smart enough *to write *only in Norwegian" or "smart enough *to be able to write *only in Norwegian," which effectively mean the same thing.


----------



## oskhen

Grefsen said:


> I just looked up *"stadig" *using TriTrans and here are some of the different translations given:
> 
> attached, ever, immobile, unmovable


 
Well, there's online translation for you. It could also be translated something like "still" or "yet".


----------



## JoakimG

oskhen said:


> Well, there's online translation for you. It could also be translated something like "still" or "yet".



I'm not quite sure I agree with you there.
In my book, "stadig" means something that still is happening, or frequently happends.
Therefore I would translate it into: Continously, frequent, often etc.


----------



## Wilma_Sweden

JoakimG said:


> I'm not quite sure I agree with you there.
> In my book, "stadig" means something that still is happening, or frequently happends.
> Therefore I would translate it into: Continously, frequent, often etc.


I don't understand the difference. If he is still unable to write everything in Norwegian, this incapability is still happening, isn't it? He is not yet clever enough.../he is still unable to... means the same thing in my book.

/Wilma


----------



## JoakimG

Wilma_Sweden said:


> I don't understand the difference. If he is still unable to write everything in Norwegian, this incapability is still happening, isn't it? He is not yet clever enough.../he is still unable to... means the same thing in my book.
> 
> /Wilma



You are completely correct.

I got too hung up in the very meaning of the word.


----------



## Grefsen

JoakimG said:


> You are completely correct.
> 
> I got too hung up in the very meaning of the word.



*Tusen takk for hjelpen JoakimG og Wilma_Sweden! *

I really appreciate all of the good contributions that you and the others  have made to this thread. 

However, at this time I'd like to request that another thread be opened for any future discussion of *"stadig"* and* "ennå."*  I've learned a lot from this thread, but  am concerned that it could end up getting locked if the discussion ends up straying too far from the original topic.  

*På forhånd takk!!  *


----------

