Questions & Answers about Hun begynte å spy.
Why is it hun and not henne?
Because hun is the subject form of the pronoun, meaning the person doing the action.
- hun = she
- henne = her
In this sentence, she is the one who begynte and spy, so Norwegian uses hun.
Compare:
- Hun begynte å spy. = She started vomiting.
- Jeg så henne. = I saw her.
Why is begynte used here?
Begynte is the past tense of å begynne, meaning to begin or to start.
Common forms are:
- å begynne = to begin
- begynner = begins / is beginning
- begynte = began / started
- har begynt = has begun / has started
So the sentence is in the past. It describes something that started at some point earlier.
Why is there an å before spy?
That å is the infinitive marker, similar to English to in to vomit.
After begynne, Norwegian normally uses:
- begynne å + infinitive
So:
- Hun begynte å spy.
This is the normal pattern, just like:
- Hun begynte å le. = She started to laugh.
- Han begynte å løpe. = He started to run.