Han er mektig.

He is powerful.

Breakdown of Han er mektig.

• være: to be
• han: he
• mektig: powerful

Questions & Answers about Han er mektig.

What does han mean, and is it always he?

Han is the Norwegian subject pronoun meaning he.

In most everyday cases, it refers to a male person:

• Han er mektig. = He is powerful.

It can also sometimes be used about things like animals when their sex is known, but for a beginner, he is the main meaning to remember.

Why is it er and not something else?

Er is the present tense of the verb å være, which means to be.

So:

• å være = to be
• er = am / is / are in the present, depending on the subject

Examples:

• Jeg er = I am
• Han er = He is
• Vi er = We are

Norwegian does not change the present-tense verb the way English does. The form er stays the same for all persons.

What does mektig mean exactly?

Mektig usually means powerful, mighty, or influential, depending on context.

In Han er mektig, it usually suggests that he has:

• power
• authority
• influence
• strength in a figurative or political sense

It is often closer to powerful than to purely physical strong.