Hun kjøper stoffet.

she

Breakdown of Hun kjøper stoffet.

• kjøpe: to buy
• stoffet: the fabric; material

Questions & Answers about Hun kjøper stoffet.

Why is it hun and not henne?

Hun is the subject form of she. It is used for the person doing the action.

• Hun kjøper stoffet. = She buys/is buying the fabric/material.

Henne is the object form of her, used when something happens to her or toward her.

• Jeg ser henne. = I see her.

So in your sentence, she is the one doing the buying, so hun is correct.

Why is the verb kjøper and not something different for she?

In Norwegian, verbs do not change according to the subject the way they do in English.

So you get:

• jeg kjøper = I buy
• du kjøper = you buy
• hun kjøper = she buys
• vi kjøper = we buy

The infinitive is å kjøpe = to buy.
The present tense is kjøper for all persons.

That makes Norwegian easier than English in this area.

Does kjøper mean buys or is buying?

It can mean both, depending on context.

Norwegian present tense often covers both:

• she buys
• she is buying

So Hun kjøper stoffet can describe:

• a general/habitual action, or
• something happening now

If you want to make the “right now” idea clearer, Norwegian often adds a time expression or another construction, but the simple present is very common.