Han ringer kona si.

Because kona is the definite singular form of kone (wife).

• kone = wife / a wife
• kona = the wife

In Norwegian, when the possessive comes after the noun, the noun is usually in the definite form:

• kona si = his wife

This is different from English, where we do not say the wife his.

Si is a reflexive possessive. It is used when the owner is the subject of the sentence.

In Han ringer kona si:

• Han = the subject
• si refers back to Han

So the sentence means that he is calling his own wife.

Compare:

• Han ringer kona si = He is calling his own wife.
• Han ringer kona hans = He is calling his wife, but his refers to some other male person, not the subject.

This reflexive/non-reflexive distinction is very important in Norwegian.

Because that is exactly what the reflexive possessive does. In Norwegian:

• sin / si / sitt / sine refer back to the subject of the clause.

Here the subject is Han, so si must refer to Han.

That means:

• Han ringer kona si = He calls his own wife.

If Norwegian wanted to say someone else’s wife, it would use hans, not si.

The form depends on the gender and number of the noun being owned, not on the owner.

The reflexive possessive forms are:

• sin for masculine singular nouns
• si for feminine singular nouns
• sitt for neuter singular nouns
• sine for plural nouns

Since kone is a feminine singular noun, the correct form is si:

• kona si

Examples:

• bilen sin = his/her own car
• dattera si = his/her own daughter
• huset sitt = his/her own house
• barna sine = his/her own children

Yes. That is also grammatically correct.

Norwegian has two common possessive patterns:

• kona si
• sin kone

Both can mean his own wife.

The difference is mainly one of style and emphasis:

• kona si is very common and natural in everyday Norwegian
• sin kone can sound a bit more formal, literary, or emphatic in some contexts

Also notice the noun form changes:

• after the noun: kona si → noun is definite
• before the noun: sin kone → noun is indefinite

Ringer is the present tense of å ringe.

So it can mean:

• he calls
• he is calling

Just like many present-tense forms in Norwegian, the exact English translation depends on context.

Usually, yes, in a sentence like this.

Å ringe noen commonly means to call someone, especially by phone.

So Han ringer kona si would normally be understood as:

• He is calling his wife
• He is phoning his wife

The verb ringe can also mean ring in other contexts, such as a bell ringing, but here the object kona si makes the meaning call/phone very natural.

The sentence follows normal Norwegian main-clause word order:

• Han = subject
• ringer = verb
• kona si = object

So it is:

Subject + Verb + Object

That is very similar to English:

• He calls his wife

Traditionally, yes: kone is a feminine noun.

That is why you see:

• ei kone = a wife
• kona = the wife

In Bokmål, many feminine nouns can also be treated as masculine/common in some styles, so you may sometimes see forms like konen instead of kona. But kona si is a very natural and common form.

Not with si.

Because si is reflexive, Han ringer kona si specifically points back to Han. So it means he calls his own wife.

If you wanted someone else’s wife, you would need a non-reflexive possessive, for example:

• Han ringer kona hans = He calls his wife, where his refers to another man

Because Norwegian makes a distinction that English usually does not:

• reflexive possessive = the subject’s own
• non-reflexive possessive = someone else’s

So English his can be ambiguous, but Norwegian often removes that ambiguity:

• Han elsker kona si = He loves his own wife.
• Han elsker kona hans = He loves another man’s wife.

This is one of the most useful grammar features for English speakers to learn early.

A simple approximate pronunciation for an English speaker is:

hahn RING-er KOO-na see

A few notes:

• han has a broad a
• ringer has two syllables: ring-er
• kona is roughly KOO-na
• si sounds like see

Actual pronunciation varies by dialect, but that approximation is good enough to start.