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Questions & Answers about Han går gjennom skogen.
What does han mean in this sentence?
han is the third-person singular masculine pronoun, equivalent to English he. It’s the subject of the sentence.
Why is the verb å gå rendered as går here?
går is the present-tense form of å gå (to walk/go). In Norwegian you form the present by adding -r to the infinitive stem. Note that gå is irregular, so the vowel changes slightly in the present.
How is gjennom used here?
gjennom is a preposition meaning through. It indicates movement from one side of something to the other, so han går gjennom skogen literally means “he walks through the forest.”
Why is it skogen instead of skog or en skog?
In English we say “the forest,” using a separate definite article. In Norwegian you usually add the definite ending to the noun: skog (forest) + -en = skogen (the forest). If you wanted indefinite you’d say en skog (a forest).
What is the sentence structure? Are there any special word-order rules?
The basic structure is Subject (Han) + Finite Verb (går) + Prepositional Phrase (gjennom skogen). Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule, meaning the finite verb comes second. Here nothing else is fronted, so it’s a straightforward SVO pattern.
How do I pronounce Han går gjennom skogen?
An approximate pronunciation in IPA is [hɑːn goːr ˈjɛnɔm ˈskuːɡən]. In more Anglicized terms:
- Han = HAHN
- går = GORE (with a long “o”)
- gjennom = YEH-nom (soft “g,” like “y,” then “nom”)
- skogen = SKOO-gen
What’s the difference between han går gjennom skogen and han går i skogen?
- gjennom = through, implying he enters one side and exits the other.
- i = in, more like “he’s walking around inside the forest” or “goes for a walk in the forest” without stressing entry and exit.
How would I say this in the past tense?
You’d use the irregular past of å gå, which is gikk. So “he walked through the forest” becomes Han gikk gjennom skogen.