Questions & Answers about Jeg henter lillebroren min.
Why is it lillebroren min and not min lillebror?
Both are possible, but they are used a bit differently.
- lillebroren min is the most neutral and very common way to say my little brother in Norwegian.
- min lillebror is also correct, but it can sound more emphatic, more literary, or more contrastive depending on context.
A useful pattern to remember is:
- noun in definite form + possessive
- broren min
- boka mi
- or possessive + noun in indefinite form
- min bror
- mi bok
In everyday Norwegian, the first pattern is often the more natural one.
Why does bror become broren?
Because -en is the definite ending for many masculine nouns in Bokmål.
- en bror = a brother
- broren = the brother
In this sentence, the noun is definite because Norwegian commonly uses the definite form when the possessive comes after the noun:
- broren min = my brother
So:
- lillebror = little brother / younger brother
- lillebroren = the little brother / the younger brother
- lillebroren min = my little brother
Why is min placed after the noun?