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Questions & Answers about Jeg ringer ham.
What does each word in the sentence "Jeg ringer ham" mean?
Jeg means I (the subject pronoun), ringer is the present tense form of å ringe (to call), and ham is the object pronoun meaning him. Together, the sentence translates to "I call him."
Why is the object pronoun ham used instead of han?
In Norwegian, han is used when referring to a subject (similar to he in English), while ham is the correct object form (like him). This distinction reflects the language’s way of marking the role a pronoun plays in a sentence.
How is the verb form ringer derived from the infinitive å ringe?
To form the present tense for most Norwegian verbs, you remove the -e at the end of the infinitive and add -er. So, å ringe (to call) becomes ringer in the present tense for all subjects.
Is the sentence structure in Norwegian similar to that of English?
Yes, the basic word order in this sentence is Subject-Verb-Object (SVO), just as in English. Jeg (subject) comes first, followed by ringer (verb), and finally ham (object).
Why is the pronoun jeg written in lowercase, unlike the English pronoun I?
Unlike English, Norwegian does not capitalize the first person singular pronoun. Jeg is written in lowercase unless it appears at the beginning of a sentence, reflecting a general rule of Norwegian orthography.