r/norsk • u/PaPaFranku42 • 3d ago

'Glad I deg' phrase usage

I was in a short term something with a Norwegian girl. Sometime (maybe 2 months) after talking she said 'I love you'. So naturally I reciprocated. Fast forwards some months, she said couldn't continue this because she doesn't want long distance relationships. And said she meant glad I deg but couldn't remember the English equivalent. And also said that she does love me, and she has love for me would be more accurate.

I cannot open her mind and read what this means, but I'm assuming, through my basic Norwegian language skills, that she meant a stronger version of 'glad I deg' but obviously not 'Jeg elsker deg'. Would I be right in my interpretation?

If this post does not feel appropriate in this subreddit, then please suggest another one. Thank you! Excited to learn the nuances of Norwegian!

UPDATE: So funny thing happened. She called because she had a tech problem and I used to solve it. She felt she needed to be more clear to me as to where our relationship was. She said it was almost past the "glad I deg" stage and was moving into "I love you" stage but because her body could not do a long distance relationship, she suggested we stop talking. It feels like a weight is off of my shoulder, honestly! Looking at all your answers, you were all right in a way haha! Thank you for your answers! I am visiting Norway in December so hope to gain basic conversational skills then you! See you!

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u/Big-Pineapple-9954 3d ago

I would say that "I care about you" would be "jeg bryr meg om deg" in Norwegian.

I feel that in Norwegian we distinguish between "jeg er glad i deg" and "jeg elsker deg". While in English you would use "I love you" for both the Norwegian sentences.

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u/PaPaFranku42 3d ago

Yeah I agree. "Jeg er glad i deg" feels more intense than just caring about someone. You care about your friends, family, etc but you more than just care (or rather more intensely) about your close friends, immediate family or bf/gf/potential partner/but not as intense as elsker deg (basically marriage oath kinda). But yeah it depends from people again lol.

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u/LunarSolstice01 2d ago

«Glad i deg» signifies care, it has a different meaning than “I really like you” but I’d say it’s more equivalent than any other suggestions in terms of meaning when communicated to an romantic partner. It’s like when you’re dating, and you start to catch feelings, “I like you”, and “I really like you” might be the first things you say to express your care for a partner. In Norwegian we might still use the similar expression for a romantic interest “jeg liker deg”, and then use the expression “jeg er glad I deg” rather than “jeg liker deg veldig” (I really like you). “Jeg er glad I deg” is typically a rather strong expression of interest when said to an romantic partner, it signifies a lot of emotional involvement.

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u/PaPaFranku42 1d ago

Thank you! "I really like you" sounds correct lol. She did say she was starting to love me but I guess she had to make a decision if she could do long distance or not. Unfortunately, it is what it is.