Signification
To have no further progress.
Contexte culturel
In Norwegian urban planning, 'blindvei' is the official term for a cul-de-sac, but 'blindgate' is the poetic/idiomatic term. Using 'blindgate' in a conversation shows a higher level of linguistic nuance. Flat hierarchy in Norway means that even a junior employee can tell a manager 'Vi er i en blindgate' without it being seen as rude. It is viewed as honest feedback. The phrase is a favorite of political commentators in newspapers like Aftenposten and VG to describe the 'Stortinget' (Parliament) when parties cannot agree. In the Norwegian startup scene, 'blindgate' is often used during 'post-mortems' to describe why a specific product feature was abandoned.
Use 'havne' for drama
If you want to sound more dynamic, use 'å havne i en blindgate' (to end up in...). It sounds more like a story.
Don't say 'død ende'
Even though 'dead end' is common in English, 'død ende' sounds like a bad translation in Norwegian. Stick to 'blindgate'.
Signification
To have no further progress.
Use 'havne' for drama
If you want to sound more dynamic, use 'å havne i en blindgate' (to end up in...). It sounds more like a story.
Don't say 'død ende'
Even though 'dead end' is common in English, 'død ende' sounds like a bad translation in Norwegian. Stick to 'blindgate'.
Professional usage
In meetings, use this phrase to signal that a brainstorm needs to move in a completely new direction.
Teste-toi
Fyll inn riktig preposisjon.
Vi har havnet ___ en blindgate.
Vi bruker alltid preposisjonen 'i' med 'blindgate'.
Hva betyr uttrykket?
Lars sier: 'Jeg er i en blindgate med dette prosjektet.'
Å være i en blindgate betyr at man ikke har progresjon.
Fullfør dialogen.
A: Hvordan går det med boka du skriver? B: Ikke så bra. Jeg føler at jeg _________________.
Dette er den naturlige måten å beskrive manglende fremgang i skriving.
Match uttrykket med riktig situasjon.
Match situasjonene til høyre med uttrykket til venstre.
Blindgate betyr stopp i fremgang.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesVi har havnet ___ en blindgate.
Vi bruker alltid preposisjonen 'i' med 'blindgate'.
Lars sier: 'Jeg er i en blindgate med dette prosjektet.'
Å være i en blindgate betyr at man ikke har progresjon.
A: Hvordan går det med boka du skriver? B: Ikke så bra. Jeg føler at jeg _________________.
Dette er den naturlige måten å beskrive manglende fremgang i skriving.
Associez chaque element a gauche avec son pair a droite :
Blindgate betyr stopp i fremgang.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsNo, it is much more common as a metaphor for situations with no progress.
You can say a person is in a blindgate (meaning their life/career is stuck), but you wouldn't call a person 'en blindgate'.
'Blindvei' is for roads/traffic. 'Blindgate' is for the idiom/metaphor.
Yes, it usually describes a frustrating or unsuccessful situation.
Yes, it is perfectly acceptable in formal writing and journalism.
You can say 'Jeg har kommet meg ut av blindgaten'.
Yes, in standard Norwegian (Bokmål), the 'd' in 'blind' is not pronounced.
No, that would mean a gate that is blind. Compound nouns must be one word.
Yes, this idiom is understood and used throughout the country.
A good opposite would be 'å være på rett spor' (to be on the right track).
Expressions liées
å stange hodet i veggen
similarTo bang one's head against the wall.
å gå i stå
synonymTo come to a standstill.
å se lyset i tunnelen
contrastTo see the light at the end of the tunnel.
en blindvei
specialized formA dead-end road.
