# Norwegian:  hyggelige og raske



## Grefsen

I just received a nice email (på norsk) from a friend of mine in Oslo.  I had some questions for her about common friends we have who live in "Grefsen"  and she wrote back to me almost immediately with a very nice reply.  I want to thank her for this very nice and quick reply, but was wondering how it sounds to native speaking Norwegians to mix *'hyggelige og raske'* in the same sentence?

Here was what I wrote initially:

Tusen takk for ditt *hyggelige og raske* svar.

would it perhaps be better to use to sentences instead?

Tusen takk for ditt *raske* svar.  Det var veldig *hyggelig* av deg?


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## Petrucci369

In Danish both phrases sound fine, still I would just write as you did: "Tusen takk for ditt *hyggelige og raske* svar."

No worries.

Best regards
Petrucci


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## Lemminkäinen

I agree; both sound fine to me


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## Grefsen

Petrucci369 said:


> In Danish both phrases sound fine, still I would just write as you did: "Tusen takk for ditt *hyggelige og raske* svar."
> 
> No worries.
> 
> Best regards
> Petrucci



*Tusen takk for hjelpen  "Petrucci."*  There certainly are a lot of similarities between written Norwegian and written Danish, but as I found out during my first trip to Denmark, there is a huge difference between spoken Norwegian and spoken Danish.


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## sigjak

Grefsen said:


> There certainly are a lot of similarities between written Norwegian and written Danish, but as I found out during my first trip to Denmark, there is a huge difference between spoken Norwegian and spoken Danish.


We Norwegians like to say that Danish isn't a language, it's a "halssykdom"... But we say it as a friendly joke (like good neighbours do).
Regards,
Sigmund


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## Aleco

Ja, eller så snakker de jo med ei brennende potet i halsen 

PS: Nå blir det så mange norske innlegg her, så vi trenger vel et eget norsk/skandinavisk forum snart?


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## Grefsen

Aleco said:


> Ja, eller så snakker de jo med ei brennende potet i halsen


Would the English translation for 'ei brennende potet' be 'a baked potato?"



Aleco said:


> PS: Nå blir det så mange norske innlegg her, så vi trenger vel et eget norsk/skandinavisk forum snart?


It has been great having so many Norwegians posting here.  Since along with the Scandinavian languages there is also a fair amount of interest in the Icelandic language as well as Finnish too, I think the moderators might want to consider having a new Forum for the Nordic Languages.


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## sigjak

Grefsen said:


> Would the English translation for 'ei brennende potet' be 'a baked potato?"


No, I don't think so.
A baked potato = en bakt potet
The example from our friend (en brennende potet) must mean in this context that when you have something very hot in your mouth you can't talk properly.
But I have never heard the expession *brennende potet*, but of course 'en varm potet'. 
As I see it, 'brennende' (burning) has a very concrete meaning when you are talking about a potato, but a abstract meaning when you are talking about i.e. a wish o  desire (et brennende ønske).

Anyway, the joke about the Danish would probably also work if you say that they talk as if they have a 'baked potato' in their mouth.


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## Petrucci369

Nu ikke for mange vittigheder om os danskere, 
tråden bliver bare "en varm kartoffel"    


 
Med venlig hilsen
Anders


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## sigjak

Hvad betyder "en varm kartoffel/potet"? 
¿algo caliente, cálido, caluroso, cariñoso?
¿algo desagradable?
O, ¿tenéis patatas ardientes en Madrid?
(...una broma...)
Un saludo desde Marbella


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## Petrucci369

Hay varios tipos de patatas en Madrid 

It is an expression

"en varm kartoffel" or in english "a hot potato"

meens that a given subject (the potato) is so hot/in focus 
that people are holding back on discussing it. 
-Nobody wants to touch "the hot potato"...

Saludos desde Gijon  
Anders


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