Jeg holder huset ryddig hver kveld.

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Breakdown of Jeg holder huset ryddig hver kveld.

• huset: the house
• hver: every
• kvelden: the evening

Questions & Answers about Jeg holder huset ryddig hver kveld.

What does the verb holder mean here? Is it literally “hold”?

Here holder means keep/maintain, not physically hold. The pattern is holde + object + adjective = keep something in a certain state.

• Examples: holde døra lukket (keep the door closed), holde maten varm (keep the food warm), holde barna stille (keep the kids quiet)

Why is it huset and not hus?

Huset is the definite form (the house). You’re talking about a specific, known house. Hus (a house) would sound like you keep some random house tidy every evening. Forms of hus (neuter):

• Indefinite singular: et hus
• Definite singular: huset
• Indefinite plural: hus
• Definite plural: husene

Could I say huset mitt to mean “my house”? What about mitt hus?

Yes:

• Neutral, everyday: huset mitt
• More emphatic/formal: mitt hus

In Bokmål, possessives can go after the noun (then the noun is definite: huset mitt) or before it (then the noun is indefinite: mitt hus). In many everyday contexts, Norwegians omit the possessive if it’s obvious: Jeg er hjemme i huset can mean my house from context.