Solen viser seg gjennom skyene.

The sun appears through the clouds.

Breakdown of Solen viser seg gjennom skyene.

• solen: the sun
• gjennom: through
• vise seg: to appear
• skyene: the clouds

Questions & Answers about Solen viser seg gjennom skyene.

Why is there no separate word for the before solen?

In Norwegian Bokmål the definite article is attached as a suffix. Since sol (sun) is a common-gender noun, you form the definite singular by adding -en, giving you solen (‘the sun’) rather than using a separate word.

Why is seg used after viser?

Seg is the third-person singular reflexive pronoun. When you use vise with seg, it becomes vise seg, which literally means “show oneself,” but is idiomatically used to mean “appear” or “make an appearance.” Here solen (the sun) “shows itself.”

Does vise seg always mean “to appear”?

Not always. Vise alone means “to show” (something). With the reflexive seg it often means “to show oneself” or “to appear,” but context can affect nuance. For describing something coming into view (like the sun), vise seg is the natural choice.

Why is skyene used instead of skyer?

Skyene is the definite plural of sky (“cloud”). We say “through the clouds,” not “through clouds,” so we use the definite form. In Norwegian, the definite plural of common-gender nouns is formed with -ene: sky → sky-ene.

Can you use skyer (indefinite plural) here?

Technically you could say gjennom skyer, but it sounds odd or too vague. Using the definite plural (skyene) fits the idea of “the clouds” that cover the sky, so that’s the natural choice in most contexts.

What’s the difference between gjennom and igjennom?

Both mean “through,” but gjennom is the standard/preferred form in Bokmål, while igjennom is more colloquial or emphatic. They are interchangeable in everyday speech.

How do you pronounce seg and skyene?

Seg is pronounced /seː/ (the g is silent). Skyene is pronounced /ˈʃyː.ə.nə/. Note that sk before front vowels (i, y, e, æ, ø) becomes the “sh” sound /ʃ/, and the y is like the French u or German ü.

Can I start the sentence with Gjennom skyene? How does word order work?

Yes. Norwegian follows the V2 (verb-second) rule. If you front a phrase like Gjennom skyene, the finite verb viser still must come next, followed by the subject:
Gjennom skyene viser solen seg.
This keeps the verb in second position.