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Questions & Answers about Jeg hviler på sofaen.
What does hviler mean, and how is hvile conjugated in Norwegian?
hviler is the present tense of hvile, meaning to rest. Conjugation (Bokmål):
- Infinitive: hvile
- Present: hviler
- Past: hvilte
- Past participle: hvilt
Why is the preposition på used here instead of another preposition?
på expresses location on a surface (just like English on the sofa). You wouldn’t use i, because i sofaen would imply “inside the sofa.”
Why is sofaen used instead of sofa, and what does the suffix -en indicate?
Norwegian attaches the definite article to the noun:
- sofa = a sofa
- sofaen = the sofa
The suffix -en marks the noun as definite singular (common gender).
Why is the subject jeg necessary? Can you omit it as in English?
Norwegian is not a pro-drop language, so you normally need a subject in a main clause. Hviler på sofaen by itself sounds incomplete; you must say Jeg hviler på sofaen.
How do you express English continuous aspect (I am resting) in Norwegian?
Norwegian uses the simple present for both habitual and ongoing actions.
- Jeg hviler på sofaen can mean either I rest on the sofa or I am resting on the sofa.
There is no separate progressive form.
Could you use ligge instead of hvile, and how would the nuance change?
- Jeg ligger på sofaen = I’m lying on the sofa, focusing on posture.
- Jeg hviler på sofaen = I’m resting on the sofa, emphasizing relaxation.
How is hviler på sofaen pronounced, especially hv and the final -en?
- hv is pronounced like v, so hviler sounds like VEEL-er.
- sofaen is pronounced SOH-fah-en, with the -en as a light /ən/ or /en/.
How would you say I am resting on a couch using an indefinite article?
Use en before the noun:
- Jeg hviler på en sofa = I’m resting on a couch.
How would you say I am resting on my couch with a possessive pronoun?
The possessive usually comes after the noun:
- Jeg hviler på sofaen min = I’m resting on my couch.
(You can also say på min sofa, but sofaen min is more common.)
What happens to word order if you start with the prepositional phrase (On the sofa, I rest)?
Norwegian follows V2 word order: the finite verb must be in second position. If you front på sofaen, you invert the subject and verb:
- På sofaen hviler jeg = On the sofa, I rest (emphasis on location).