# Norwegian: veldig, utrolig, sinnssyk, knall-, jævlig, døds-



## applecrisp

I'm living in Norway and learning Norwegian right now, and one thing I'm unclear of are all the different ways to say "very"; I hear a lot of different ones, but am never sure how to use them myself, how strong they are, or if they have any other meanings.

I usually just go with "veldig" or "utrolig", since I'm more confident with them, but i hear things like:

-sinnssyk
-knall
-jævlig
-døds
osv

I can't think of any more at the moment, but I'm just curious how these expressions are normally used, and if anyone has more examples
Thanks!


----------



## Cerb

A rough guide would be:

ok:
knall- (prefix)

very informal:
sinnsyk (+-t in these cases), døds- (prefix)

profanity:
jævlig

While these ones are very well integrated, a lot of the prefixes come and go and there's even local variatons. Even down to things used only by groups of friends. They catch on and die out.

"Veldig" is the most neutral one. "Meget" is also used in some cases and is considered more formal. It's more common in writing or perhaps on the news.


----------



## Grefsen

Velkommen til    nordiske språkforumet *applecrisp*!  



applecrisp said:


> I'm living in Norway and learning Norwegian right now...


I'm really envious of you.   The best way to become fluent på norsk is to learn Norwegian while you are actually living in Norway. 



applecrisp said:


> I usually just go with "veldig" or "utrolig", since I'm more confident with them


I always thought that "utrolig" was used more to describe something that was "amazing," "incredible," or "unbelievable."


----------



## Ben Jamin

Cerb said:


> "Meget" is also used in some cases and is considered more formal. It's more common in writing or perhaps on the news.


I would say that 'meget' is either very formal (officialese/scientific), posh (upper class) or archaic.


----------



## basslop

Grefsen said:


> I always thought that "utrolig" was used more to describe something that was "amazing," "incredible," or "unbelievable."



I agree, Grefsen. Nevertheless, you will hear this used a lot in daily speech. To me it seems to be an increasing tendency to use stronger synonyms for *veldig*. Where will it end?


----------



## MRossi

Grefsen said:


> I'm really envious of you.   The best way to become fluent på norsk is to learn Norwegian while you are actually living in Norway.



Du prover med et praterom


----------



## Tech12

"Svært" is quite common. (En svært stor demonstrasjon.)

Also, if we're going down the road of "utrolig" etc, then "usedvanlig" should be mentioned. (En usedvanlig liten mann.)

In the vein of "sinnssyk": "Vanvittig". (Pizzaen var vanvittig god.)


----------



## cocuyo

When I worked in Norway about thirty years ago, the prefix "kjempe-" was often heard, as in _kjempegøy_.


----------



## ermannoitaly

Hei

 Jeg lurte på om adverbet "ekstra" kan spille en rolle for å forsterke et  adjektiv.
 For eksempel : jeg har ikke råd til å kjøpe denne bilen  som har  blitt ekstra dyr.
 Takk
 Mvh


----------



## Grefsen

cocuyo said:


> When I worked in Norway about thirty years ago, the prefix "kjempe-" was often heard, as in _kjempegøy_.


Perhaps the prefix "kjempe-" is not used as often as it was in the past, but some of my Norwegian friends still use _kjempefin_.  One example is "ha en kjempefin helg" for "have a very nice weekend."


----------



## Ben Jamin

ermannoitaly said:


> Hei
> 
> Jeg lurte på om adverbet "ekstra" kan spille en rolle for å forsterke et adjektiv.
> For eksempel : jeg har ikke råd til å kjøpe denne bilen som har blitt ekstra dyr.
> Takk
> Mvh


 Men 'ekstra' betyr opprinnelig 'ytterligere', og denne betydningen passer godt til 'ekstra dyr' (enda dyrere).


----------



## perroexterno

The words that I would generally reach for are the following:  ganske, svært, meget, mye, veldig.


----------



## cocuyo

I don't know whether it is an influence from Swedish, but I have also heard "dritt-" to denote "very", as in "drittbillig". I am not quite sure however if it is used as extensively as in Swedish, where "skit-" may augment just any word as "skitgod". I know it is used with N. "go" as a separate epithet, "dritt go", which to me sounds very informal.


----------



## Zluim

“Veldig” (huge) and “svært” (big) would be the safest bets in more or less any situation, I guess. “Meget” (a lot) should be fine, too, though it is somewhat bookish/danish/formal. “Utrolig” (unbelievable) would hardly raise many eyebrows either. “Usedvanlig” (uncustomary) has a hint of politicalese to it, but not enough for it to be avoided, and even “uvanlig” (unusual) should work sometimes.

“Kjempe-” (giant) and “knall-” (bang, as in noise), though colloquial, both sound perfectly innocent, to me at least,. I think, however, that “kjempe” is more easily prefixed to a wide range of adjectives than “knall”, with at least one important exception: colours. For colours, “knall” would be used: “knallrød” (very red), “knallblå” (very blue), etc. “Knallbra” (very well, very good), “knallgod” (very good), “knallhard” (very hard, very difficult) are common, “knallstor” (very big), “knalldårlig” (very bad), “knallflott/knallpen” (very pretty) could certainly be heard, maybe even “knalliten” (very small), but ?”knallvittig” sounds a bit strange, whereas “kjempevittig” (very funny, very witty) does not. 

There are, of course, those who frown upon extensive use of intensifying prefixes, but I suspect many, or even most, people would find words like “kjempekul” (very cool), “kjempebra” (very well, very good), “kjempedårlig” (very bad), “kjempestor” (very big), and perhaps even “kjempeliten” (very small, lit. giant small) unproblematic, at least in informal situations. 

“Ekstra” _can _be used, but to me it sounds a bit odd in the example above; it is perfectly understandable, yes, but there's something that just doesn't sound quite right. Even so, the sentences

_Jeg har ikke råd til å kjøpe denne bilen akkurat nå. Den er ekstra dyr nå om dagen._ 
I can't afford (to buy) this car right now. It is particularly expensive these days. 

sound perfectly fine to me. 

As is the case in English, adjectives meaning _of great size_ can often be used adverbially to signify “very”, e.g. “enorm” (enormous) and “kolossal” (colossal). “Veldig” and “svær” fit in here as well, as do “uhorvelig” (enormous) and umåtelig (immense), which are used from time to time. “Fantastisk” (fantastic) is very commonly used as an intensifier. Less common, but certainly not uncommon, is “fabelaktig” (fabulous). 

The words that really seem to be prominent as intensifiers in colloquial speech, however, are words denoting something very _bad_. “Fryktelig” (terrible) and “forferdelig” (terrible) are frequently used. Colloquially, these two and “fantastisk” are used more or less interchangeably. The more formal the situation, however, the more “fryktelig” and “forferdelig” will tend to retain their negative connotations, which is why expressions like "fryktelig bra", "forferdelig god" are rare(er) in such situations. Still, when receiving bad news, (concerning someone else, not yourself), a perfectly polite way to reply would be: _Det var fryktelig/forferdelig trist/leit å høre._ (I'm sorry to hear that. Lit. It was terribly sad to hear.)

Informally, words for “insane”, “crazy” are very commonly used as intensifiers, e.g. “sinnssyk”, “vanvittig”, both extremely common; “avsindig” would work, too. “Voldsom” (violent) and “skremmende” (frightening) are both common, “uhyggelig” (horrifying) perhaps less so, but still used. “Fæl” (awful) sounds dated to me, others will surely disagree. “Gyselig” (appalling) would work, perhaps even “motbydelig” (disgusting) and “absurd” (absurd).

As for prefixes, “døds-” (death) is very informal, and so is “dritt-” (crap). “Skam-” (shame) and “stein-” (stone) are used sometimes. “Skitt-” or “skit-” (crap) is certainly very common in Swedish. 

Then, of course, there's profanity. “Djevelsk” (devilish) may or may not be considered profanity. To me it is less profane, and it is certainly much less frequent, than “jævlig” = “djevlig” (devilish). Another very informal way of intensifying is _name of devil + so,_ “faen så tåpelig” (bloody ridiculous), “satan så godt” (bloody good), or “det gjorde pokker så vondt” (it hurt like hell).

The adverbial form of a few of these adjectives requires a _t_ at the end, of course, _svært/enormt/kolossalt/sinnssykt/voldsomt/fælt glemsk_ (very forgetful).

After negation “særlig” (particular) and “spesiell” (special) could be used: Jeg er ikke særlig/spesielt flink til å … (I'm not very good at …).


----------



## Grefsen

Velkommen til det nordiske språkforumet *Zluim!* 

There is a tremendous amount of good information you have provided for us in your very first post.  



Zluim said:


> “
> “Kjempe-” (giant) and “knall-” (bang, as in noise), though colloquial, both sound perfectly innocent, to me at least,. I think, however, that “kjempe” is more easily prefixed to a wide range of adjectives than “knall”, with at least one important exception: colours. For colours, “knall” would be used: “knallrød” (very red), “knallblå” (very blue), etc. “Knallbra” (very well, very good), “knallgod” (very good), “knallhard” (very hard, very difficult) are common, “knallstor” (very big), “knalldårlig” (very bad), “knallflott/knallpen” (very pretty) could certainly be heard, maybe even “knalliten” (very small), but ?”knallvittig” sounds a bit strange, whereas “kjempevittig” (very funny, very witty) does not.


What do you think about the use of "knallbillig?"  I heard this used once in a radio commercial several years ago and thought it was a bit strange to hear that a product was "knallbillig" (explosively cheap).


----------



## Zluim

Takk for det.

I guess a lot of expressions like these sound a little odd at first, but they could quickly become THE way of putting it for a while. "Knallbillig" sounds perfectly fine; I would be surprised if I haven't used it myself. Talking of surprise, "kjempeoverrasket" sounds good, but ?"knalloverrasket" doesn't, at least not initially. The more I repeat it, though, the less problematic it sounds. 

A couple of other expressions:

drivende god (very good) 
drepende kjedelig (very boring)

nynorsk:
framifrå god


----------



## ermannoitaly

Hei
 kanskje kunne vi sitere/innskrive tre andre prefikser som  forsterker:

  super-/ultra-/hyper-
 f.eks.
 *superelegant

 *ultramoderne 
 *hyperaktiv 
 -----
 Mvh
 -----
 *Kilde: Bokmålsordboka


----------



## Zluim

_Super-_, _ultra-_ og _hyper-_ er absolutt verdt å ta med. Så har vi e_ksepsjonelt_, _særdeles_, _usannsynlig_, _uendelig_, _ualminnelig_ og _utenomordentlig_, som burde være mer eller mindre uproblematiske. _Sykt_, _forbanna_, _svinaktig_ og _inn i granskauen_ bærer mer preg av dagligtale. Banneord som _helvetes_, _faens_, _satans_ og _pokkers_ skulle kunne brukes. Vi har også en del mer eller mindre faste uttrykk:

dørgende stille
gnistrende god
strålende glad
lynende intelligent
skåldende het
hoppende glad
gloende varm, glovarm
glødende interessert i
vidunderlig vakker
irriterende dårlig
tvingende nødvendig
latterlig billig
dampende het
slående vakker
stormende forelsket
hjertelig gjerne
tindrende klar
lekende lett
splitter pine gal 
bitende kald
rykende fersk
høyt elsket
bekende mørkt, bekmørkt
styggfort, styggbratt
blånekte
smellvakker


----------



## applecrisp

takk for alle svarene! really interesting!


----------



## hanne

<the original question has been answered, and the discussion is becoming too broad, so this thread is now closed>


----------

