Han savner sine venner i byen.

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Breakdown of Han savner sine venner i byen.

• vennen: the friend
• han: he
• byen: the city

Questions & Answers about Han savner sine venner i byen.

1. What does savner mean exactly? Is it the same as English misses?

Savner is the present tense of at savne, and it usually means to miss (emotionally) — to feel the absence of someone or something you care about.

In Han savner sine venner i byen, it is the normal, direct equivalent of English He misses his friends in town.

A useful contrast:

• at savne = to miss emotionally
  
  • Jeg savner dig. – I miss you.
• at mangle = to lack / to be missing (in the sense of something not being there or not being enough)
  
  • Der mangler en stol. – A chair is missing / There is one chair too few.

So here savner is about feeling, not just physical absence.

2. Why is it sine venner and not hans venner?