Breakdown of Hylle nummer to er full av bøker som hans far eier.
være
to be
boken
the book
av
of
hans
his
to
two
som
that
full
full
hyllen
the shelf
nummeret
the number
faren
the father
eie
to own
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Questions & Answers about Hylle nummer to er full av bøker som hans far eier.
What does Hylle nummer to literally mean, and why is there no article before Hylle?
Hylle nummer to translates literally as “shelf number two.” In English you might label things Shelf #1, Shelf #2, etc. Here Hylle is used like a label, so it stands alone without en/ei or den.
Could I also say Den andre hyllen instead of Hylle nummer to, and is there any difference?
Yes. Den andre hyllen means “the second shelf” in an ordinary counting sense. Hylle nummer to sounds like you’re referring to a numbered system (e.g. in a catalog). Both are correct, but the nuance differs: one is ordinal everyday counting, the other is labeling by number.
Why is the phrase full av used here? What does it mean?
Full is an adjective meaning “full” or “filled,” and av is the preposition “of.” Together full av means “full of.” So er full av bøker = “is full of books.”
Can I use a different preposition with full, like på or med?
No, the standard collocation for filling something with contents is full av. You wouldn’t say full på bøker. Sometimes you might find fullt med in colloquial speech, but the textbook form is full av.
How is the relative clause som hans far eier constructed?
Som is the relative pronoun “that/which,” introducing the clause hans far eier (“his father owns”). Word order in the clause follows the subject–verb pattern: hans far (subject) + eier (verb).
Why is hans used instead of sin for “his”?
Sin is a reflexive possessive pronoun that refers back to the subject of the same clause. Here, the subject of the main clause is Hylle nummer to, an inanimate object, so you can’t refer back to it with sin. Also, if you want to say “his father” about someone else (not the shelf), you use hans.
Could I shorten bøker som hans far eier to bøkene hans far eier?
Yes. Bøkene hans far eier means “the books his father owns.” You’ve made bøker definite by adding -ne. Both are correct; one is indefinite plural with a relative clause, the other a definite noun phrase.
How do you pronounce nummer in Norwegian?
Num-mer has two syllables. The stress is on the first syllable: NUM-mer. The u is pronounced like the u in English “rune,” and the e in the second syllable is a short, unstressed schwa sound.