Hun har god samvittighet.

she

Breakdown of Hun har god samvittighet.

• ha: to have
• god: good
• samvittigheten: the conscience

Questions & Answers about Hun har god samvittighet.

Why is there no article before god samvittighet? Shouldn’t it be en or ei?

Not necessarily. In Norwegian, especially after å ha, abstract nouns are often used without an article when you are describing a general state or condition.

So Hun har god samvittighet is the normal, idiomatic way to say that she feels morally clear.

Compare:

• Hun har god samvittighet = she has a clear conscience
• Hun har en god samvittighet = grammatical, but less idiomatic and more descriptive

This article-less pattern is common in Norwegian:

• ha dårlig tid
• ha rett
• ha ansvar
• ha god samvittighet

Why is it god and not godt?

Because adjectives in Norwegian must agree with the noun.

God is used with singular common/feminine nouns.
Godt is used with singular neuter nouns.
Gode is used with plural and often definite forms.

Since samvittighet is not a neuter noun, god is the correct form.

Examples:

• en god stol
• ei god bok
• et godt hus
• gode bøker

So here:

• god samvittighet = correct
• godt samvittighet = incorrect

What gender is samvittighet?