# Norwegian: very (meget, svært, veldig)



## Dan2

This seems like an obvious topic of discussion but I can't find a previous thread that deals with it.

In my (limited) exposure to Norwegian, it seems like the most commonly used equivalent for Eng "very" is "veldig".  But most Eng-Nor dictionaries give "meget" first, and many don't mention "veldig" at all. And the most commonly found dictionary in US bookstores gives two translations for "very", "svært" first, "meget" second.  No "veldig".

Can anyone suggest guidelines for the use of veldig vs meget vs svært?

I know that "veldig" can also mean "enormous" or "powerful", and I assume that those are older usages than "very".  Is it known that using "veldig" to mean simply "very" is a recent development?  Perhaps dictionaries haven't caught up with actual usage?

Thanks!


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## oskhen

Dan2 said:


> I know that "veldig" can also mean "enormous" or "powerful", and I assume that those are older usages than "very".  Is it known that using "veldig" to mean simply "very" is a recent development?  Perhaps dictionaries haven't caught up with actual usage?
> 
> Thanks!



I think you're right in assuming that such a use of "veldig" is more recent, though how recent I cannot say. Must have been used for some decades, though. 
Anyway, I suggest that you use "veldig" for "very". "Meget"/"svært" is old fashioned and might sound odd. Sometimes they are very good to use, but I think you should master the language quite well to recognize when. 

There may be situations where "very" should be translated in another way, but in general using "veldig" should work just fine, I think.


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## DeadMule

oskhen said:


> I think you're right in assuming that such a use of "veldig" is more recent, though how recent I cannot say. Must have been used for some decades, though.
> Anyway, I suggest that you use "veldig" for "very". "Meget"/"svært" is old fashioned and might sound odd. Sometimes they are very good to use, but I think you should master the language quite well to recognize when.
> 
> There may be situations where "very" should be translated in another way, but in general using "veldig" should work just fine, I think.



I agree. "Meget" is quite old-fashioned, and "svært" is more formal. But both are very commonly used in written language. In normal speech they are hardly ever used by the man in the street. Follow oskhen's advice there.

If you allow a slight digression: A common substitue for "veldig" is "kjempe-". For eksempel, the typical way to say "very good" about food, is "veldig godt" or "kjempegodt". "Kjempe-" is a bit more informal than "veldig", not sure you'd see that in a dictionary. So there you have the whole spectrum (wihtout entering into slang).


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## basslop

Yes, *meget *is old fashioned and I guess it comes from our "Dansih period". In Danish it is still the prevailing word. 

*Veldig* can also mean: Powerful, mighty, enormous etc. E.g. Den veldige sibirske taigaen. I think this is the original meaning, while as already pointed out by oskhen, the meaning very is more recent.


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## basslop

The interesting question of course: Could someone with more formal knowledge in Norwegian explain why dictionaries are as Dan2 describes. Is the very-meaning still too recent?


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## DeadMule

basslop said:


> The interesting question of course: Could someone with more formal knowledge in Norwegian explain why dictionaries are as Dan2 describes. Is the very-meaning still too recent?



In the most common Eng-Nor dictionary in Norway (the "Blue" series from Kunnskapsforlaget), we find this:

very*2* adv.  (oftest ubøyd)*1*
 meget, svært,  veldig, særdeles,  spesielt, særs, i høyeste grad

"Veldig" is present, but only in third place. I think the reason is the same as for many words in Norwegian: The often big difference between the written and spoken language. Dictionaries typically have a bias towards written language. A  couple of decades ago, "meget" and "svært" were very common in news media, maybe more than "veldig". A quick search on some major newspapers in Norway today, shows that "veldig" is becoming more common even there, with "svært" a close second (depending on the publication) and "meget" now a distant third.

So I think it's high time the dictionaries are updated to show the order that represents the actual usage in Norway today:

-> veldig, svært, meget.

Again, only "veldig" is commonly used in spoken language. Maybe it takes decades for dictionaries to be updated due to changing popular usage, not sure how they decide.


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## Dan2

Thanks, everyone.  Clear answer to my question, plus some very interesting discussion.


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## timtfj

Can anyone explain to me how _meget_, _svært_ and _veldig_ differ as translations of English _very_? For example, how would these differ from each other?

_Du skriver veldig bra_
_Du skriver meget bra_
_Du skriver svært bra_
In English we have different words for different weights, e.g. _extremely_ is a stronger word than _very_ and _exceptionally _is stronger still.

I haven't had much help from dictionaries on this---they mostly just give the translation as _meget_ or _svært_ without any further comment.

Takk på forhånd,
Tim


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## TomTrussel

> Can anyone explain to me how _meget_, _svært_ and _veldig_ differ as translations of English _very_? For example, how would these differ from each other?



I'm not sure I'm able to rank them in any particular or sensible way, but I can say that "meget" is related to English _much, _both have some roots in Old Norse _mikill. _It's main use is about mass, that something has much of it, but as you say, it can also be translated to English very, in some circumstances. 

"svært" and on the other hand is mainly used about size, and something being big, while "veldig" is also about being powerful otherwise than sheer size.

I wouldn't know how to rank them, they are pretty much interchangeable when used to flavour "bra"

TT


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## timtfj

Thanks---it sounds as though I won't go far wrong using any of them, but that each has a slightly different flavour to it which might be best picked up by being alert to examples of them in use.


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## NorwegianNYC

In Danish, '_meget_' is pronounced "maje", and is essentially the same word as Norwegian '_mye_' (related to Sw 'mycket' and and dial. Norw 'mykje')


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## Alxmrphi

NorwegianNYC said:


> In Danish, '_meget_' is pronounced "maje", and is essentially the same word as Norwegian '_mye_' (related to Sw 'mycket' and and dial. Norw 'mykje')


 And Icelandic _mikið_ (and also _mikið_ in Faroese).


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## timtfj

NorwegianNYC said:


> In Danish, '_meget_' is pronounced "maje", and is essentially the same word as Norwegian '_mye_' (related to Sw 'mycket' and and dial. Norw 'mykje')


What sound are you representing with the j, please? An English j or a Norwegian one (English y)?


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## Alxmrphi

timtfj said:


> What sound are you representing with the j, please? An English j or a Norwegian one (English y)?


Hi fellow NW-Englander 
I don't think the English-j (IPA: [d͡ʒ]) exists in Danish, so I'm pretty sure it's (or close to) [j] in the IPA (like the y-sound in '*y*oghurt').
But it might be slightly different but along the same lines... not close to the English-j in 'jam'/'judge'/'jew'/'Jerry' etc.


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## NorwegianNYC

Hi!

Yes, I am sorry. The "j" in question is a consonant like "y" in yellow.


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## hanne

Just wanted to point out on a sidenote that the pronunciation indicated by NNYC to me looks much like the stereotypical pronunciation by Swedes, who are imitating Danish (would probably be the same by Norwegians, but we encounter Swedes more often). My take would be something like to "maeð" (and then the a is more like "might" than "far" - when the Swedes try to pronounce it, it usually comes out closer to "far", and that is also what I hear in my mind when I read "maje").


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## NorwegianNYC

Hi Hanne

That was not my intention. Norwegians are actually the ones who are mistaken here. 'Meget' is a Danish word that Norwegians pronounce "me-get", whereas the Danish pronunciation (in Norwegian ears) is something like "maje"/mae" (but "maeð" is probably more correct). Many Norwegians do not even realize that these words are the same when they hear them spoken.


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