Possessive Pronouns

Norwegian possessive pronouns indicate ownership: min (my), din (your), hans (his), hennes (her), vår (our), deres (your pl./their). Unlike English, Norwegian possessives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. The forms shown above are for masculine nouns. They change based on whether the noun is masculine, feminine, neuter, or plural.

Possessives for 1st and 2nd person (min, din, vår) change based on noun gender. Masculine: min/din/vår. Feminine: mi/di/vår. Neuter: mitt/ditt/vårt. Plural: mine/dine/våre. Third person possessives (hans, hennes, deres) don't change - they stay the same regardless of the noun's gender.

Norwegian possessives can come before OR after the noun. When after, the noun takes the definite form. Both are correct, but after-position is very common in spoken Norwegian. Before: min bil (my car). After: bilen min (the car my = my car). The meaning is the same.

Norwegian has a special reflexive possessive "sin" (his/her/its/their own) used when the possessor is the subject of the sentence. It refers back to the subject and prevents ambiguity. Compare: "Han tok bilen sin" (He took his [own] car) vs "Han tok bilen hans" (He took his [someone else's] car).

Possessives appear in many everyday Norwegian expressions. Learning these phrases helps you use possessives naturally in conversation. Note that Norwegian often uses possessives where English might not, and vice versa.