Hun tar på seg frakken.

She puts on the coat.

Breakdown of Hun tar på seg frakken.

• hun: she
• ta på seg: to put on
• frakken: the coat

Questions & Answers about Hun tar på seg frakken.

What is the literal meaning of tar på seg, and how is it used idiomatically here?

Tar på seg is built from the separable verb ta på (“to take on/put on”) plus the reflexive pronoun seg (“oneself”).

• Literal: “takes on herself.”
• Idiomatic: “puts on” (an item of clothing or accessory).

Why is the reflexive pronoun seg necessary in this sentence?

In Norwegian, ta på (to put on) is reflexive when you dress yourself. You must include:

• meg with jeg (I)
• deg with du (you)
• seg with han/hun (he/she) and de (they)
  So Hun tar på seg frakken means she is dressing herself in the coat. English drops the reflexive (“She puts on her coat”), but Norwegian requires it.

What does the ending -en in frakken indicate?

The -en suffix marks the definite singular of a common‐gender noun.

• frakk = “coat”
• frakken = “the coat”

Could you use en frakk instead of frakken, and what would that change?

Yes.

• Hun tar på seg en frakk. = “She puts on a coat.” (any coat, indefinite)
• Hun tar på seg frakken. = “She puts on the coat.” (a specific coat, definite)