Ways to say it
| Norwegian | IPA |
|---|---|
| ingenting | /²ɪŋːɛntɪŋ/ |
| inkje | /²ɪnçə/ |
You can use it in several common phrases, such as Ingenting spesielt for nothing special and Ingenting å melde for nothing to report. If you want to express a colloquial sense of no fuss or no nonsense, you can say Ingen dilldall.
Which one should you use?
ingenting provides a stronger, more absolute sense of nothing compared to the phrase ikke noe, which means not anything.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The form inkje is a dialectal or archaic form used in certain Norwegian dialects and in Nynorsk. In the Trøndelag region, you might hear Ikkje nå' å nevne to mean nothing worth mentioning, which is an alternative to the standard Ikke noe å nevne.
How does it change in a sentence?
While you can use ingenting as a direct object, it is very common in Norwegian to use the construction ikke noe (not anything) to express the same meaning in a sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
/²ɪŋːɛntɪŋ/
Did you know?
- The form inkje is not just archaic but is still used as a standard part of Nynorsk, one of Norway's two official written languages.
- The roots of inkje trace back to the Old Norse word 'ekki', which is the ancestor of many common Norwegian negation words.
- Depending on the region, using the word inkje can make a speaker sound significantly more traditional or poetic than using ingenting.
Examples in context
- Ingenting kan slå det.Nothing can beat that.This sentence demonstrates the use of ingenting to express that nothing can match a certain quality.Tatoeba #12492905 by Just_Some_Guy, translation #5767505 by CK
- Vi har ingenting å tape.We've got nothing to lose.This sentence shows how to use ingenting to say one has nothing to lose.Tatoeba #8144863 by vikvaering, translation #3286857 by CK
- De har ingenting å tape.They have nothing to lose.This sentence provides another example of using ingenting to express having nothing to lose.Tatoeba #10942751 by Mayk, translation #8958756 by CH
- Ingenting spesieltNothing special
- 72 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ingrid and Andreas are sitting in a cafe during a quiet afternoon.
- IngridHva skjer i byen i dag?What is happening in town today?
- AndreasDet skjer ingenting spesielt.Nothing special is happening.
- IngridEr det ingenting å gjøre her?Is there nothing to do here?
- AndreasVi kan bare slappe av.We can just relax.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nothing” translations and entries ingenting, inkje, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ingenting, inkje, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
