Han mistet formuen.

Mistet is the past tense (preterite) of å miste, which means to lose.

So:

• å miste = to lose
• mister = lose / am losing
• mistet = lost
• har mistet = have/has lost

In Han mistet formuen, the action is presented as a completed event in the past: He lost the fortune / his fortune.

In Norwegian, the definite article is often added to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word in front.

So:

• formue = fortune
• formuen = the fortune

This is very normal in Norwegian. English says the fortune, but Norwegian often says the same idea with one word: formuen.

Formue is traditionally a feminine noun in Bokmål, but in Bokmål many feminine nouns can also be treated with masculine-style endings.

That means you may encounter forms like:

• en formue = a fortune
• formuen = the fortune

For a learner, the important thing in this sentence is simply that formuen is the definite singular form.

Norwegian can sometimes leave ownership unspoken when it is clear from context.

So Han mistet formuen can naturally be understood as He lost his fortune.

If you want to make the ownership explicit, the most natural form would be:

• Han mistet formuen sin = He lost his fortune

Notice that Norwegian normally uses sin when the owner is the same as the subject. So han mistet formuen sin is better than using hans here.

The sentence follows the basic Norwegian pattern:

Subject + Verb + Object

• Han = subject
• mistet = verb
• formuen = object

So:

• Han mistet formuen. = He lost the fortune.

This is also consistent with the Norwegian V2 rule in main clauses: the finite verb usually comes in the second position. Since Han is first, mistet comes second.

For example:

• I går mistet han formuen. = Yesterday he lost the fortune.

Here I går is first, so mistet still stays in second position.

No. Here formue means wealth, assets, or a large amount of money/property.

So it refers to fortune in the sense of wealth, not good luck.

If you want to talk about luck, Norwegian usually uses lykke.

So:

• formue = fortune, wealth
• lykke = luck, happiness

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation guide would be:

han MIS-tet for-MU-en

A rough English-friendly approximation:

• Han sounds a bit like hahn
• mistet has stress on the first syllable: MIS-tet
• formuen has stress on mu: for-MU-en

The final part -en in formuen is pronounced, so it is not just two syllables. You hear something like for-mu-en.

Yes. That would also be correct, but the meaning changes slightly.

• Han mistet formuen = He lost his fortune

  • simple past
  • tells about a past event

• Han har mistet formuen = He has lost his fortune

  • present perfect
  • focuses more on the present result

So if you are simply narrating a past event, mistet is natural. If you want to emphasize that he is now without the fortune, har mistet may fit better.