#16: Að Nenna

We've all had those moments when we just don't feel like doing anything-- rainy days and lazy Sundays when the only thing that sounds appealing is lounging around on the couch and eating our favorite comfort foods. Today's word is perfect for times like this, or days when you're seriously procrastinating on something important, or even when you're just feeling indifferent. It's að nenna, a verb with no precise English equivalent.

In many circumstances, að nenna can be translated as "to be bothered to do something," "to be in the mood to do something," or "to feel like doing something." So, for instance, if your housemate wants you to take out the trash but you don't have the motivation to do it right now, you can say, ég nenni því ekki, "I can't be bothered to do it" or "I don't feel like it." As you can see from the pronoun því ("it"), this is another verb that governs the dative case. But it can also govern an infinitive; hún nennir ekki að fara út means "she's not in the mood to go out."

In questions, it is often translated as "could...?" or "would...?" or perhaps "would... mind?" Thus, in Icelandic you would say nennirðu að ganga með hundinn? when in English you might say, "would you mind walking the dog?" It's important to note, though, that the English "would" and "could" imply some element of ability, while að nenna mostly just implies motivation/inclination. If what you really mean to say is "could you (i.e. are you able to) walk the dog?" then you'd need to use the verb að geta instead: Geturðu að ganga með hundinn?

Turns out that the dog can't be bothered to go for a walk either....

Once you get the hang of when and how to use að nenna, it becomes a very useful word for a variety of situations. As you can see from my examples, it's usually used in the negative to express things that one doesn't care to do at the moment. So much so that [ég] nenni ekki (I can't be bothered) is sometimes shortened to nennikki or nenni'ggi in very casual speech. You know, for those who can't even be bothered with whole words.

WORD SUMMARY:

að nenna (v + dat.): to be bothered/feel like/be in the mood for something

    Present: nenni, nennir, nennir
    Past: nennti
    Participle: nennt

Posted in: Untranslatable, Verbs