Signification
to focus on details and miss the whole
Contexte culturel
The forest (marka) is a place of refuge and clarity for Norwegians. Being 'unable to see the forest' is seen as a failure of the clarity that nature usually provides. Norwegian flat hierarchy encourages employees to challenge managers if they feel the leadership is 'not seeing the forest for the trees'. In Norwegian universities, 'oversiktslesing' (overview reading) is taught as a specific skill to prevent students from getting lost in details. In the age of Big Data, this idiom is increasingly used in Norway to describe 'information overload'.
Use it to soften criticism
If you need to tell someone they are wasting time on details, using this idiom makes the criticism feel like a common human error rather than a personal failing.
Don't forget the 'ikke'
Without 'ikke', the phrase doesn't make sense in 99% of contexts. It's a negative observation.
Signification
to focus on details and miss the whole
Use it to soften criticism
If you need to tell someone they are wasting time on details, using this idiom makes the criticism feel like a common human error rather than a personal failing.
Don't forget the 'ikke'
Without 'ikke', the phrase doesn't make sense in 99% of contexts. It's a negative observation.
Teste-toi
Fyll inn det manglende ordet i ordtaket.
Han er så opptatt av detaljene at han ikke ser _______ for bare trær.
Ordtaket er 'å ikke se skogen for bare trær'.
Hvilken situasjon passer best til uttrykket?
Lise bruker tre timer på å velge farge på en knapp i appen sin, men appen fungerer ikke i det hele tatt.
Lise fokuserer på en liten detalj (farge) og glemmer helheten (funksjonalitet).
Fullfør dialogen.
A: Jeg har brukt hele dagen på å rette kommafeil i denne rapporten. B: Pass på så du ikke ______.
B advarer A mot å miste oversikten.
🎉 Score : /3
Aides visuelles
Detail Focus vs. Big Picture
Banque d exercices
3 exercicesHan er så opptatt av detaljene at han ikke ser _______ for bare trær.
Ordtaket er 'å ikke se skogen for bare trær'.
Lise bruker tre timer på å velge farge på en knapp i appen sin, men appen fungerer ikke i det hele tatt.
Lise fokuserer på en liten detalj (farge) og glemmer helheten (funksjonalitet).
A: Jeg har brukt hele dagen på å rette kommafeil i denne rapporten. B: Pass på så du ikke ______.
B advarer A mot å miste oversikten.
🎉 Score : /3
Questions fréquentes
3 questionsNo, that would mean you are missing the details because of the big picture, which is not a standard idiom in Norwegian.
It is neutral. You can use it with your boss or your best friend.
It means 'nothing but' or 'only'. It emphasizes that the trees are the only thing you see.
Expressions liées
å se seg blind på noe
synonymTo look at something so much that you can no longer see it clearly.
å henge seg opp i detaljer
similarTo get stuck on small details.
å ha helhetsinntrykk
contrastTo have an impression of the whole.
å gå i dybden
contrastTo go into depth/detail.
