Reflexive Pronouns
Refleksive pronomen
Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject: meg (myself), deg (yourself), seg (himself/herself/themselves). Many Norwegian verbs require reflexive pronouns where English doesn't: 'å glede seg' (to be happy, lit. to please oneself).
Rule
1st: meg | 2nd: deg | 3rd: seg | Plural: oss/dere/seg
Examples
Jeg gleder meg.
I am looking forward to it.
Hun vasker seg.
She washes herself.
Vi setter oss ned.
We sit down.
Common Mistake
Han vasker ham.
Han vasker seg.
Using 'ham' instead of 'seg' changes the meaning from washing himself to washing another man. Hindi rarely uses explicit reflexive pronouns, making this hard to remember.
English vs Norwegian
| English | Norsk |
|---|---|
| I am looking forward to it. | Jeg gleder meg. |
| She washes herself. | Hun vasker seg. |
| We sit down. | Vi setter oss ned. |
English
I am looking forward to it.
Norsk
Jeg gleder meg.
English
She washes herself.
Norsk
Hun vasker seg.
English
We sit down.
Norsk
Vi setter oss ned.