Radioen slår seg av når jeg sovner.

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Breakdown of Radioen slår seg av når jeg sovner.

• når: when
• sovne: to fall asleep
• radioen: the radio

Questions & Answers about Radioen slår seg av når jeg sovner.

What does Radioen mean, and why is there an -en at the end?

Radioen is the definite form of radio in Norwegian. Adding -en turns “a radio” into “the radio.”

What does slår seg av mean?

Literally it’s “hits itself off,” but idiomatically it means “turns itself off.” It’s a reflexive action: the radio is doing the shutting-off by itself.

Why is seg included in slår seg av?

Seg is the reflexive pronoun “itself.” It marks that the subject (radioen) is both doing and receiving the action—so the radio turns itself off.

Could we just use slår av or skruer av instead?

You could say slår av radioen or skruer av radioen if you mean “I switch off the radio.” But then it’s you who turns it off. Slår seg av emphasizes the radio shuts off on its own.

Why is av separated from slår?