When you're first starting out with Norwegian, ikke is one of the most important words to learn. It means "not" and you'll use it all the time to make sentences negative. For example, if you want to say "I do not speak Norwegian," you would say "Jeg snakker ikke norsk."
You usually place ikke after the verb in a simple sentence. If there's an object, ikke comes after the object. For example, "Jeg ser ikke filmen" (I do not see the film). Don't worry too much about all the rules right away; just practice using it in basic sentences.
When you're trying to say that something is not happening or something is not true, you'll use the word ikke. It's a very common adverb in Norwegian.
Typically, ikke comes after the verb in a main clause, like "Jeg snakker ikke norsk" (I do not speak Norwegian).
If you have an auxiliary verb, ikke usually comes after the main verb, for example, "Jeg kan snakke ikke norsk" (I can not speak Norwegian).
Mastering the placement of ikke is a small but important step in sounding more natural when you speak Norwegian.
When using ikke with verbs, it usually comes after the verb, unless the sentence structure moves the verb to the second position.
For example: Jeg snakker ikke norsk (I do not speak Norwegian). But, Norsk snakker jeg ikke (Norwegian I do not speak).
When ikke modifies an adjective or adverb, it typically comes before the adjective or adverb: ikke bra (not good), ikke ofte (not often).
Finally, when ikke negates a noun, it comes before the indefinite article: ikke en bil (not a car), or before the noun if there's no article: ikke penger (not money).
Wichtige Grammatik
In simple statements, 'ikke' (not) usually comes after the verb.
Jeg forstår ikke. (I understand not. / I don't understand.)
When there is an object, 'ikke' usually comes after the object.
Jeg spiser ikke maten. (I eat not the food. / I'm not eating the food.)
In questions, 'ikke' typically comes after the verb and the subject.
Forstår du ikke? (Understand you not? / Don't you understand?)
When using auxiliary verbs (like 'vil' - want to, 'kan' - can), 'ikke' comes after the auxiliary verb.
Jeg vil ikke sove. (I want not to sleep. / I don't want to sleep.)
When 'ikke' negates an adjective or adverb, it usually comes directly before the word it negates.
Det er ikke vanskelig. (It is not difficult.)
Beispiele nach Niveau
Jeg snakker ikke norsk.
I do not speak Norwegian.
Det er ikke kaldt i dag.
It is not cold today.
Hun er ikke her.
She is not here.
Vi liker ikke å vente.
We do not like to wait.
Du forstår ikke.
You do not understand.
De kommer ikke i kveld.
They are not coming tonight.
Jeg har ikke en bil.
I do not have a car.
Han spiser ikke kjøtt.
He does not eat meat.
Jeg liker ikke å spise fisk.
I do not like to eat fish.
Hun snakker ikke norsk flytende ennå.
She does not speak Norwegian fluently yet.
Vi har ikke tid til å vente.
We do not have time to wait.
Det er ikke vanskelig å lære seg dette.
It is not difficult to learn this.
De kommer ikke på festen i kveld.
They are not coming to the party tonight.
Jeg forstår ikke hva du mener.
I do not understand what you mean.
Er du ikke sulten etter all den maten?
Are you not hungry after all that food?
Han er ikke fra Norge, han er fra Sverige.
He is not from Norway, he is from Sweden.
Häufige Kollokationen
Häufige Phrasen
Jeg forstår ikke.
I don't understand.
Det er ikke sant.
That is not true.
Jeg vil ikke ha det.
I don't want it.
Han kommer ikke.
He is not coming.
Vi snakker ikke norsk.
We don't speak Norwegian.
Det er ikke mulig.
It is not possible.
Spiser du ikke?
Aren't you eating?
Jeg er ikke fra Norge.
I am not from Norway.
Du må ikke glemme.
You must not forget.
Jeg har ikke tid.
I don't have time.
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenThe most common way to say 'not' in Norwegian is ikke. It's a versatile adverb you'll use constantly.
In simple sentences, ikke usually comes after the verb. For example: 'Jeg snakker ikke norsk.' (I do not speak Norwegian.)
No, ikke is an adverb, so it doesn't change its form based on the gender or number of the noun or pronoun it refers to. It stays the same.
Not directly like in English 'not happy.' You'll usually negate the verb associated with the noun or adjective. For example: 'Han er ikke lykkelig.' (He is not happy.)
Yes, but ikke is your primary tool. Other words like 'ingen' (no/none) or 'aldri' (never) are used in specific contexts. Focus on mastering ikke first.
It's straightforward. 'Jeg er ikke trøtt.' (I am not tired.) 'De er ikke her.' (They are not here.)
Ikke negates a verb or an entire clause. Ingen means 'no' or 'none' and negates a noun. For example: 'Jeg har ikke en bil.' (I do not have a car.) vs. 'Jeg har ingen bil.' (I have no car.) They are often interchangeable in meaning, but syntactically different.
Just like a regular question, but add ikke after the verb. 'Snakker du ikke norsk?' (Don't you speak Norwegian?)
Yes, in modern Norwegian, ikke consistently means 'not.' Its meaning is very stable.
No, ikke is already short and widely used in both formal and informal contexts. There isn't a common, abbreviated slang version.
Teste dich selbst 54 Fragen
Jeg snakker ___ norsk. (I do ___ speak Norwegian.)
The word 'ikke' means 'not' and is used to negate verbs.
Han er ___ her. (He is ___ here.)
'Ikke' is placed after the verb to negate the sentence.
Vi har ___ bil. (We do ___ have a car.)
'Ikke' negates the verb 'har' (have).
De kommer ___ i dag. (They are ___ coming today.)
'Ikke' negates the action of coming.
Jeg forstår ___ det. (I do ___ understand it.)
'Ikke' is used to say 'do not' before the verb 'forstår' (understand).
Hun spiser ___ kjøtt. (She does ___ eat meat.)
'Ikke' negates the verb 'spiser' (eats).
Which sentence correctly uses 'ikke'?
'Ikke' usually comes after the verb in a main clause. The correct placement is 'Jeg snakker ikke norsk.' (I do not speak Norwegian.)
Choose the correct negative sentence:
'Ikke' is placed after the verb 'er'. The correct sentence is 'Vi er ikke sultne.' (We are not hungry.)
How do you say 'He does not work'?
In Norwegian, 'ikke' follows the verb to make a negative statement. So, 'Han jobber ikke.' (He does not work.) is correct.
The sentence 'Jeg drikker ikke kaffe' means 'I drink coffee'.
No, 'Jeg drikker ikke kaffe' means 'I do not drink coffee'. The word 'ikke' makes it negative.
In the sentence 'De bor ikke i Oslo', 'ikke' makes the sentence negative.
Yes, 'ikke' negates the verb 'bor', so 'De bor ikke i Oslo' means 'They do not live in Oslo'.
You can say 'Ikke jeg er glad' to mean 'I am not happy'.
No, this is incorrect word order. The correct way to say 'I am not happy' is 'Jeg er ikke glad'.
Jeg vil ____ kaffe nå. Jeg er trøtt.
To say 'I don't want coffee now,' use 'ikke'.
Han snakker ____ norsk så bra ennå.
'Ikke' is placed after the verb to negate it. Here, it negates 'snakker'.
Vi har ____ tid til å vente.
To say 'we don't have time', 'ikke' is placed before 'tid'.
Er du sulten? Nei, jeg er ____ sulten.
To say 'I am not hungry', 'ikke' comes after the verb 'er'.
Hun forstår ____ hva han sier.
'Ikke' is placed after the verb 'forstår' to negate the action.
Det er ____ kaldt i dag.
To say 'It is not cold today', 'ikke' is placed after the verb 'er'.
Which sentence correctly uses 'ikke'?
'Ikke' typically follows the verb in Norwegian.
How do you say 'They do not live in Oslo'?
'Ikke' comes after the verb 'bor' (live).
Choose the correct negative sentence:
The correct placement for 'ikke' is after the verb 'har'.
The sentence 'Jeg spiser ikke fisk' means 'I eat not fish.'
This is a direct translation and grammatically correct in Norwegian. It means 'I don't eat fish.'
In Norwegian, 'ikke' always comes before the verb.
'Ikke' usually comes *after* the verb in simple declarative sentences.
The sentence 'Han liker ikke kaffe' is a correct negative sentence in Norwegian.
Yes, 'ikke' is correctly placed after the verb 'liker' (likes).
Listen for 'ikke' (not) in the sentence about speaking Norwegian.
Listen for the word 'ikke' (not) in the sentence about coffee.
Listen for 'ikke' (not) in the sentence about going to the cinema.
Read this aloud:
Jeg er ikke trøtt.
Focus: ikke
Du hast gesagt:
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Read this aloud:
Det er ikke kaldt ute.
Focus: ikke
Du hast gesagt:
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Read this aloud:
Hun har ikke en bil.
Focus: ikke
Du hast gesagt:
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In Norwegian, 'ikke' (not) typically comes after the verb in a simple sentence.
The negation 'ikke' follows the verb when denying an action.
When negating possession, 'ikke' is placed after the verb 'har' (to have).
This sentence structure reflects a common way to express confusion or lack of understanding in Norwegian, using 'ikke' to negate both the main verb 'forstår' and the auxiliary verb 'ville' in the subordinate clause.
This demonstrates the use of 'ikke' to negate both a past perfect verb phrase in a subordinate clause and a predicate adjective in the main clause, showing complex sentence negation.
This sentence shows the use of 'ikke bare... men også' (not only... but also) and 'ikke' negating an infinitive verb phrase, which is a nuanced use at B2 level.
The sentence discusses the difficulty of navigating bureaucracy for newcomers.
Listen for the nuance regarding a choice made despite warnings.
The sentence is about the government's consideration of long-term consequences.
Read this aloud:
Forklar hvordan mangelen på universell utforming kan utelukke deler av befolkningen fra offentlige tjenester.
Focus: utelukke
Du hast gesagt:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Diskuter de etiske dilemmaene som oppstår når kunstig intelligens tar beslutninger uten menneskelig inngripen.
Focus: dilemmaene
Du hast gesagt:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Utdyp viktigheten av tverrfaglig samarbeid for å løse komplekse samfunnsutfordringer i det 21. århundre.
Focus: tverrfaglig
Du hast gesagt:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
This sentence means 'She has not decided yet.' The standard word order in Norwegian for 'not' (ikke) is typically after the verb in a declarative sentence.
This translates to 'The decision was not influenced by his opinion.' In passive sentences, 'ikke' (not) usually comes after the auxiliary verb and before the main verb.
This means 'It's not as simple as it looks.' 'Ikke' (not) is placed after the verb 'er' (is) in this comparative construction.
/ 54 correct
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