Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Jeg vil hilse på naboen, men døren hans er stengt. - I want to greet the neighbor, but his door is closed.

Hilse på translates roughly to “to greet” or “to say hello to.” Unlike English, where you simply use the verb greet directly with the person you’re greeting, Norwegian typically employs the two-part construction with på to indicate the target of the greeting. So in Jeg vil hilse på naboen, på links the action of greeting to the neighbor.

Why do the nouns naboen and døren have an -en ending instead of a separate word for “the”?

In Norwegian, especially in Bokmål, the definite form of a noun is often created by attaching a suffix to the noun. In this sentence, nabo becomes naboen (the neighbor) and dør becomes døren (the door), which is equivalent to using “the” before the noun in English.

What is the role of hans in the sentence, and why is it used instead of a reflexive form like sin?

Hans is a possessive pronoun meaning “his.” Here, it indicates that the door belongs to the neighbor. The reflexive sin is used when the subject of the sentence owns something, but since the subject jeg (I) is different from the neighbor, hans is the correct choice to refer to the neighbor’s possession.

Why is there no å before hilse in the phrase Jeg vil hilse på naboen?

When a modal verb like vil (want) is used in Norwegian, the infinitive that follows does not take the particle å. Although the basic infinitive is å hilse, after vil it becomes simply hilse. This is a standard grammatical feature when modal verbs are involved.

What does men signify in this sentence, and how does it connect the two parts?

Men means “but” in English. It serves as a coordinating conjunction that contrasts the speaker’s wish to greet the neighbor with the fact that the neighbor’s door is closed. This contrast sets up the expectation versus the reality in the sentence.

How does er stengt function grammatically, and what does it tell us about the door?

Er stengt is a construction made up of the linking verb er (is) and the past participle stengt (closed). This structure describes the current state of the door. Essentially, it means that the door is presently closed, functioning similarly to an adjective describing the door’s condition.