Signification
Having nothing left of something.
Contexte culturel
Norway is one of the world's top coffee-consuming nations. 'Å gå tom for kaffe' is considered a minor social disaster and is a very common topic of conversation. When hiking or skiing, 'å gå tom' refers to 'bonking' or hitting the wall physically. It's a serious matter in the mountains. The concept of the 'social battery' is highly respected. Saying you've 'gone empty' for social energy is an accepted way to leave a gathering early. Norway is highly digitized. Running out of 'strøm' (power/battery) or 'data' is a frequent complaint among all age groups.
The 'For' Rule
Always remember the 'for'. Saying 'Jeg går tom melk' sounds like you are an empty person named Milk walking.
Don't 'Run'
Never use 'løpe' (run) for this idiom. It's a classic English-speaker mistake.
Signification
Having nothing left of something.
The 'For' Rule
Always remember the 'for'. Saying 'Jeg går tom melk' sounds like you are an empty person named Milk walking.
Don't 'Run'
Never use 'løpe' (run) for this idiom. It's a classic English-speaker mistake.
Social Battery
Use 'gå tom for sosial energi' to politely leave a Norwegian party. It's very culturally savvy.
Teste-toi
Fill in the missing preposition.
Vi har gått tom ___ kaffe.
The idiom 'å gå tom' always requires the preposition 'for'.
Which sentence is correct?
How do you say 'I ran out of gas'?
You use the past tense of 'å gå' (gikk) + 'tom for'.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Skal vi lage vafler? B: Nei, vi har ____ ___ ___ mel.
The present perfect 'har gått tom for' is used to show we are currently out of flour.
Match the situation to the correct use of the phrase.
You are at a party and feel very tired of talking to people.
This is the common way to describe social burnout in Norway.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Common things we 'Går tom for'
Kjøkken
- • Kaffe
- • Melk
- • Brød
Teknologi
- • Strøm
- • Data
- • Lagring
Personlig
- • Tålmodighet
- • Energi
- • Ideer
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesVi har gått tom ___ kaffe.
The idiom 'å gå tom' always requires the preposition 'for'.
How do you say 'I ran out of gas'?
You use the past tense of 'å gå' (gikk) + 'tom for'.
A: Skal vi lage vafler? B: Nei, vi har ____ ___ ___ mel.
The present perfect 'har gått tom for' is used to show we are currently out of flour.
You are at a party and feel very tired of talking to people.
This is the common way to describe social burnout in Norway.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
5 questionsNo, you cannot say a person 'gikk tom' unless you mean they ran out of energy or ideas. You can't use it to mean someone left.
In this idiom, it is almost always 'tom'. 'Tomt' is the neuter form used for nouns like 'et glass er tomt'.
'Gå tom' is more common and general. 'Slippe opp' is slightly more informal and often used for food or money.
Yes, this is a very common way to say you are running out of time.
Yes, it's neutral. You can say 'Vi gikk tom for ressurser' in a professional way.
Expressions liées
å slippe opp for
synonymTo run out of something (often unexpectedly)
å være tom for
similarTo be out of something
å gå lens for
specialized formTo run out of (nautical origin)
å tømme
builds onTo empty something
å mangle
similarTo lack
