The Reflexive Possessive 'sin' — Norwegian Grammar

English "his dog" can mean the dog of the man in the sentence or of somebody else. Norwegian keeps the two apart. means "his own, her own, their own": it always refers back to the subject of its own clause.

Han går med hunden sin.
He is walking with his (own) dog.
Han går med hunden hans.
He is walking with his (another man's) dog.

The Forms

changes with the thing owned, like and .

- masculine:
- feminine:
- neuter:
- plural:

Hun leser boka for sønnen sin.
She reads the book to her son.
Han selger huset sitt.
He is selling his house.
De besøker foreldrene sine.
They are visiting their parents.

Only for he, she, it and they

is used only when the subject is in the third person. With , , and , the ordinary possessive already refers to the subject.

Jeg ga en gave til faren min.
I gave a present to my father.
Vennen min ga en gave til moren sin.
My friend gave a present to his mother.

Never in the Subject Itself

points back to a subject, so it can never be part of the subject. There the ordinary , or is used.

Hunden hans er søt.
His dog is cute.
Barna deres er veldig bråkete.
Their children are very noisy.

She and Hers

The same contrast exists for women and for groups: for the subject's own, or for someone else's.

Hun ringer moren sin.
She is calling her (own) mother.
Hun ringer moren hennes.
She is calling her (the other woman's) mother.

Before the Noun

Like the other possessives, can stand in front of the noun for emphasis.

Kona mi hører på sin favorittsang.
My wife is listening to her favourite song.

Inside a Subordinate Clause

refers to the subject of the clause it stands in, not to the subject of the whole sentence.

Anna sier at Per har mistet nøkkelen sin.
Anna says that Per has lost his key.
Anna sier at Per har mistet nøkkelen hennes.
Anna says that Per has lost her key.

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