How to say "good" in Norwegian... More complicated than one should think...
/In Norwegian, there are two ways to say the adjective "good" in Norwegian: "bra" and "god/godt". Note that "bra" and "godt" can also be adverbs (meaning “well”), so pay attention to the function of the word. But let's look deeper into the different meanings of "good" and “well”.
So, as I said, "bra" can be both an adverb and an adjective:
Det er bra at du er her! (adjective: It's good that you are here)
Jeg har det bra. (adverb: I'm doing well (at the moment or in general))
Han spiller bra! (adverb: he plays well)
Maten er bra (adjective: the food is good, as in "full of taste or/and in great quantity; you get what you pay for; prestigious: a five course meal, caviar … )
"God" is always an adjective:
Han er en god spiller (he's a good player)
Maten er god (the food is good/delicious)
"Godt" can be both an adverb and an adjective:
Dette brødet var godt! (adjective: this bread was good/delicious)
Jeg har det godt. (adverb: litterally: "I have it well", but the deeper meaning is " I have a good, comfortable life, I am doing well, I'm lucky". You say it when you talk about your life in general, and not just right now as you can with "bra")
Han spiller godt! (adverb: he plays well, no difference with “bra” here)
Maten smaker godt. (adverb: the food tastes good/delicious)
Les teksten godt. (adverb: read the text thoroughly, in detail. “Bra” would normally not be used here.)
Jeg sitter godt. (adverb: comfortably)
The adverbs "godt" and "bra" often have more or less the same meaning. Bra would be a more neutral “well”, whereas “godt” can in some cases have added meanings like “deliciously” (when talking about food), “thoroughly” and “comfortably”. I will now focus on the differences between the adjectives "god/godt" and "bra" as these are often more obvious.
Definitions:
1. Bra:
Du får mye for pengene (you get a lot for the money)
Respektabel, skikkelig (en bra person); respectable, decent (a decent person)
Flink (skillful): you can say "hun er en bra spiller", “hun er bra” but not “hun er bra til å spille”
Fantastisk, super (fantastic, great)
2. God/godt
Snill (nice/kind)
Omtenksom (thoughtful)
Om mat: med god smak, deilig; about food: with good taste, delicious
Flink (skillful); you can say "hun er en god spiller", "hun er god" and “hun er god til å spille”.
Betryggende (comforting)
Komfortabel /behagelig (comfortable)
Gradbøying (inflexion):
Bra – bedre – best
God/godt – bedre – best
Now, let's compare some phrases to get more a feel of the differences, shall we?
Denne kaka er bra! (= «this cake is good», it's full of taste or it’s good for some other reason. Maybe it has cool motive on it? Maybe it was cheap?)
Denne kaka er god! (= this cake tastes good, it’s delicious)
Det var godt å høre! (=that was comforting to hear!)
Det var bra å høre! (= that was a good/positive thing to hear)
Jeg har mange gode venner (= good/close/kind/thoughtful friends)
Jeg har mange bra venner (= I have a lot of decent/respectful/cool friends)
Det er bra å ha venner! (= It's a good thing to have friends)
Det er godt å ha venner (= it's comforting to have friends)
Det var godt at du kom! (= luckily you came! That was comforting)
Det var bra at du kom! (= it's a good thing that you came!)
Så bra! (= «that's awesome!», «well done!»)
Så godt! (= «so delicious (food)!», «so comforting», «so soothing»)
So, are you getting the feel of it?
Here are some sentences for you to test yourself! Should I write "bra" or "god/godt" Instead of the English word? Write your answers below in the comment field and I'll tell you if you're right ;)
He's a kind/good person
She's a decent person
I was worried! It was good (comforting) you came!
It's nice (it's a good thing) to have friends
It's nice (it's soothing, makes you feel good) to have friends.
This is a good beer, not very expensive.
I love this cake, it's so good!
So nice to hear that you finally got your drivers licence! What a relief!
Awesome that you finally got your driver's licence, it was about time!
Great!
I live in a good (safe) neighbourhood.
I live in a good (nice looking, desired, good quality) neighbourhood!
Oh, and one last thing: Have you noticed how the adjective "god/godt" has quite a few "feminine" associations while the adjective "bra" is more about performance, strength, quantity and respectfulness (typically "masculine" associations)? In general “bra” involves less vulnerability and is more neutral than “god(t)”. I also dare say that women use “god(t)” more often than men, but I might be wrong :)
Vi snakkes!
Silje :)