Breakdown of Spøkelset viser seg bare i fjernsynets refleksjon midt på natten.
i
in
bare
only
spøkelset
the ghost
vise seg
to appear
fjernsynets
television’s
refleksjonen
the reflection
midt på natten
in the middle of the night
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Questions & Answers about Spøkelset viser seg bare i fjernsynets refleksjon midt på natten.
What does the reflexive pronoun seg in viser seg do?
seg is the reflexive pronoun used with certain verbs when the subject acts on itself. viser seg literally means shows itself, which corresponds to appears in English.
Why is bare placed after seg rather than at the beginning of the sentence?
In Norwegian, adverbs of limitation such as bare usually follow the verb or verb group. Placing bare after seg—as in viser seg bare—is more idiomatic than bare viser seg.
Why does fjernsynets end in -ets?
The noun fjernsyn is neuter. Its definite singular form is fjernsynet. To form the genitive (possession), you add -s to the definite form. Thus fjernsynets means the television’s or of the television.
Could I also say i refleksjonen til fjernsynet instead of i fjernsynets refleksjon?
Yes. i refleksjonen til fjernsynet is equally correct and perhaps more explicit. Norwegian commonly uses both the -s genitive (fjernsynets refleksjon) and a til+noun construction (refleksjonen til fjernsynet).
What does midt på natten mean, and why use på?
midt means middle. When referring to the middle of a time period, Norwegian uses midt på plus the definite noun (natten for the night). So midt på natten means in the middle of the night.
Can I start the sentence with midt på natten, and what about word order?
Yes. You can say Midt på natten viser spøkelset seg bare i fjernsynets refleksjon. Because Norwegian is a Verb-Second language, the finite verb (viser) stays in second position, regardless of what comes first.
How is spøkelset pronounced, especially the ø and the final -et?
spøkelset is pronounced approximately /ˈspœʰkəlsə/. The vowel ø is like the eu in French bleu, and the ending -et reduces to a schwa [ə], giving spø-kəl-sə.
Is there another way to say the ghost appears in Norwegian?
Yes. A common alternative is dukker opp. For example: Spøkelset dukker bare opp i fjernsynets refleksjon midt på natten. dukker opp means pops up or appears.