pronomenA2
Refleksivt pronomen og 'sin'
[Reflexive Pronouns (seg) and the 'sin' Rule]The reflexive pronoun 'seg' is used in the 3rd person when the action reflects back onto the subject. The reflexive possessive 'sin/si/sitt/sine' indicates that the subject owns the object (Han vasker bilen sin = his own car).
1. Reflexive Verbs and Pronouns (Subject – Object – Reflexive)
A reflexive verb must always pair with a reflexive pronoun pointing back to the subject. Pay close attention to the 3rd person (han, hun, de), which takes SEG, distinct from object pronouns ham, henne, and dem:
Subject Pronoun
jeg(I)
Object Pronoun
meg(me)
Reflexive Pronoun
meg(myself)
Example (with translation)
Jeg koser meg.(I am enjoying myself.)
Subject Pronoun
du(you)
Object Pronoun
deg(you)
Reflexive Pronoun
deg(yourself)
Example (with translation)
Du koser deg.(You are enjoying yourself.)
Subject Pronoun
han(he)
Object Pronoun
ham (han)(him)
Reflexive Pronoun
seg 👈(himself 👈)
Example (with translation)
Han koser seg.(He is enjoying himself.)
Subject Pronoun
hun(she)
Object Pronoun
henne(her)
Reflexive Pronoun
seg 👈(herself 👈)
Example (with translation)
Hun koser seg.(She is enjoying herself.)
Subject Pronoun
vi(we)
Object Pronoun
oss(us)
Reflexive Pronoun
oss(ourselves)
Example (with translation)
Vi koser oss.(We are enjoying ourselves.)
Subject Pronoun
dere(you)
Object Pronoun
dere(you)
Reflexive Pronoun
dere(yourselves)
Example (with translation)
Dere koser dere.(You are enjoying yourselves.)
Subject Pronoun
de(they)
Object Pronoun
dem(them)
Reflexive Pronoun
seg 👈(themselves 👈)
Example (with translation)
De koser seg.(They are enjoying themselves.)
| Subject Pronoun | Object Pronoun | Reflexive Pronoun | Example (with translation) |
|---|---|---|---|
jegI | megme | megmyself | Jeg koser meg.I am enjoying myself. |
duyou | degyou | degyourself | Du koser deg.You are enjoying yourself. |
hanhe | ham (han)him | seg 👈himself 👈 | Han koser seg.He is enjoying himself. |
hunshe | henneher | seg 👈herself 👈 | Hun koser seg.She is enjoying herself. |
viwe | ossus | ossourselves | Vi koser oss.We are enjoying ourselves. |
dereyou | dereyou | dereyourselves | Dere koser dere.You are enjoying yourselves. |
dethey | demthem | seg 👈themselves 👈 | De koser seg.They are enjoying themselves. |
Examples:
Jeg gleder meg veldig til helgen.I am really looking forward to the weekend.
Han må skynde seg for å rekke bussen.He has to hurry to catch the bus.
Vi vasker oss og kler på oss før frokost.We wash ourselves and get dressed before breakfast.
Føler dere dere klare for kurset?Do you feel ready for the course?
Conjugation of Reflexive Verbs in Present and Past (å kose seg):
Person
1. person entall (jeg)(1st person singular (jeg))
Present Tense
Jeg koser meg(I am enjoying myself)
Past Tense
Jeg koste meg(I enjoyed myself)
Person
2. person entall (du)(2nd person singular (du))
Present Tense
Du koser deg(You are enjoying yourself)
Past Tense
Du koste deg(You enjoyed yourself)
Person
3. person entall (han/hun)(3rd person singular (han/hun))
Present Tense
Han/hun koser seg 👈(He/she is enjoying himself/herself 👈)
Past Tense
Han/hun koste seg 👈(He/she enjoyed himself/herself 👈)
Person
1. person flertall (vi)(1st person plural (vi))
Present Tense
Vi koser oss(We are enjoying ourselves)
Past Tense
Vi koste oss(We enjoyed ourselves)
Person
2. person flertall (dere)(2nd person plural (dere))
Present Tense
Dere koser dere(You are enjoying yourselves)
Past Tense
Dere koste dere(You enjoyed yourselves)
Person
3. person flertall (de)(3rd person plural (de))
Present Tense
De koser seg 👈(They are enjoying themselves 👈)
Past Tense
De koste seg 👈(They enjoyed themselves 👈)
| Person | Present Tense | Past Tense |
|---|---|---|
1. person entall (jeg)1st person singular (jeg) | Jeg koser megI am enjoying myself | Jeg koste megI enjoyed myself |
2. person entall (du)2nd person singular (du) | Du koser degYou are enjoying yourself | Du koste degYou enjoyed yourself |
3. person entall (han/hun)3rd person singular (han/hun) | Han/hun koser seg 👈He/she is enjoying himself/herself 👈 | Han/hun koste seg 👈He/she enjoyed himself/herself 👈 |
1. person flertall (vi)1st person plural (vi) | Vi koser ossWe are enjoying ourselves | Vi koste ossWe enjoyed ourselves |
2. person flertall (dere)2nd person plural (dere) | Dere koser dereYou are enjoying yourselves | Dere koste dereYou enjoyed yourselves |
3. person flertall (de)3rd person plural (de) | De koser seg 👈They are enjoying themselves 👈 | De koste seg 👈They enjoyed themselves 👈 |
2. The Golden Rule: 'Sin' vs. 'Hans / Hennes / Deres'
Use 'sin/si/sitt/sine' when the owner is the SUBJECT of the clause. If it belongs to someone else, use 'hans', 'hennes', or 'deres':
Example Sentence (with translation)
Olav vasker bilen sin.(Olav is washing his car.)
Explanation (who owns it?)
Olav vasker sin egen bil.(Olav is washing his own car.)
Conclusion / Rule
Subjektet (Olav) eier bilen → 'sin'(Subject owns the car → 'sin')
Example Sentence (with translation)
Olav vasker bilen hans.(Olav is washing his car (another man's).)
Explanation (who owns it?)
Olav vasker en annen manns bil (f.eks. Eriks).(Olav is washing another man's car (e.g. Erik's).)
Conclusion / Rule
En annen person eier bilen → 'hans'(Another person owns it → 'hans')
Example Sentence (with translation)
Nina besøkte søsteren sin.(Nina visited her sister.)
Explanation (who owns it?)
Nina besøkte sin egen søster.(Nina visited her own sister.)
Conclusion / Rule
Subjektet (Nina) eier relasjonen → 'sin'(Subject owns the relation → 'sin')
Example Sentence (with translation)
Nina besøkte søsteren hennes.(Nina visited her sister (another woman's).)
Explanation (who owns it?)
Nina besøkte en annen kvinnes søster (f.eks. Sofias).(Nina visited another woman's sister.)
Conclusion / Rule
En annen kvinnes søster → 'hennes'(Another woman's sister → 'hennes')
Example Sentence (with translation)
Lisa kysset kjæresten sin.(Lisa kissed her boyfriend.)
Explanation (who owns it?)
Lisa kysset sin egen kjæreste.(Lisa kissed her own boyfriend.)
Conclusion / Rule
Subjektet (Lisa) eier relasjonen → 'sin'(Subject owns the relation → 'sin')
Example Sentence (with translation)
Lisa kysset kjæresten hennes.(Lisa kissed her boyfriend (another girl's!).)
Explanation (who owns it?)
Lisa kysset en annen jentes kjæreste.(Lisa kissed another girl's boyfriend.)
Conclusion / Rule
En annen jente eier relasjonen → 'hennes'(Another girl's relation → 'hennes')
| Example Sentence (with translation) | Explanation (who owns it?) | Conclusion / Rule |
|---|---|---|
Olav vasker bilen sin.Olav is washing his car. | Olav vasker sin egen bil.Olav is washing his own car. | Subjektet (Olav) eier bilen → 'sin'Subject owns the car → 'sin' |
Olav vasker bilen hans.Olav is washing his car (another man's). | Olav vasker en annen manns bil (f.eks. Eriks).Olav is washing another man's car (e.g. Erik's). | En annen person eier bilen → 'hans'Another person owns it → 'hans' |
Nina besøkte søsteren sin.Nina visited her sister. | Nina besøkte sin egen søster.Nina visited her own sister. | Subjektet (Nina) eier relasjonen → 'sin'Subject owns the relation → 'sin' |
Nina besøkte søsteren hennes.Nina visited her sister (another woman's). | Nina besøkte en annen kvinnes søster (f.eks. Sofias).Nina visited another woman's sister. | En annen kvinnes søster → 'hennes'Another woman's sister → 'hennes' |
Lisa kysset kjæresten sin.Lisa kissed her boyfriend. | Lisa kysset sin egen kjæreste.Lisa kissed her own boyfriend. | Subjektet (Lisa) eier relasjonen → 'sin'Subject owns the relation → 'sin' |
Lisa kysset kjæresten hennes.Lisa kissed her boyfriend (another girl's!). | Lisa kysset en annen jentes kjæreste.Lisa kissed another girl's boyfriend. | En annen jente eier relasjonen → 'hennes'Another girl's relation → 'hennes' |
Examples:
Per snakker ofte med moren sin.Per often speaks with his mother (Per's own mother).
Kari traff Erik og kjæresten hans på kino.Kari met Erik and his girlfriend at the cinema (Erik's girlfriend).
De har solgt det gamle huset sitt.They have sold their old house.
Barna leker med lekene sine i hagen.The children are playing with their toys in the garden.
Two strict prohibitions: 1) 'Sin' can NEVER be part of the subject! ('Olav og kona si' ❌ → 'Olav og kona hans' ✅). 2) 'Sin' CANNOT stand in the predicate after 'å være'! ('Han er sønnen sin' ❌ → 'Han er sønnen hans/hennes' ✅).