Happy = lykkelig = lucky
= heldig = fortunate
= lykksalig = blissful, happy
= glad = joyful, joyous, glad
= treffende = to hit, meet, come across
= behendig = handy, deft
= slagferdig = ready for battle, quickwitted
(slag = blow, strike, hit, slag anfall = apoplectic fit, fikk slag = had a stroke, ferdig = ready, prepared, done, finished) Upon further reflection, it seems to me that many euphoric emotion terms in Norwegian convey feelings of agitation and anticipation.
Glad
Glad appeared to be the most approximate term for happiness. Glad is very often associated with birds who are anticipating or enjoying spring. It is not uncommon to hear statements such as,
"Jeg er glad som en fugl."
(I / am / glad / like /a / bird)
"Glad som fuglen i lunden."
(Glad / like / birds / in / the meadows).
A person who is feeling glad would likely express this by smiling ( glad i ansiktet - glad / in / the face) or talking incessantly (mun goer i et - mouth / goes / in /one {without stopping}). Glad also suggests an undertone of something like excitement. Someone winning the lottery, for instance, might say:
"Jeg er så glad at jeg hvet ikke hvem bein jeg skal stå på."
(I / am / so / glad / that / I / know / not / which / leg / I / should / stand / on).
Spennt
Spennt, similar to our concept of 'feeling anticipation', expresses this in terms of 'being tense'. It is a feeling which is pleasurable and apprehensive at the same time. Someone waiting to hear specific news from home might feel this, or someone waiting for the outcome of an exam might feel this way.
"Jeg er så spennt som en hane."
(I / am / so / spennt / like / a / rooster.)
"Jeg er spennt for å hore ossen det blei."
(I / am / spennt / for / to / hear / how / it / became.)
The feeling of being in a state of pleasure/apprehension might turn into something more personal, similar to our concept of 'longing'. This 'longing', however, would not be for something far away, but rather something very close by, imminent. Here a feeling of pressure is attributed to the heart and the emotion can only be sensed from within the body. Rather than using spennt, this is expressed by saying "hjertet mit klemmt" (Heart / mine / squeezed), as in this sentence:
