Breakdown of Hun lar meg bruke hennes egen sykkel hvis jeg vasker den.
jeg
I
hun
she
den
it
hvis
if
meg
me
vaske
to wash
bruke
to use
sykkelen
the bicycle
hennes
her
la
to let
egen
own
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Questions & Answers about Hun lar meg bruke hennes egen sykkel hvis jeg vasker den.
What grammar pattern is lar meg bruke? Does å la need å before the next verb?
Å la (“to let/allow”) takes a bare infinitive: la + (someone) + infinitive. So: Hun lar meg bruke … (She lets me use …). Do not insert å: lar meg å bruke is incorrect.
Why is it lar and not la?
Lar is the present tense. La is the imperative (e.g., La oss gå!) and not the present. The past tense is lot (e.g., Hun lot meg bruke …), and the past participle is latt (Hun har latt meg bruke …).
Should it be sin instead of hennes here?
Use sin/si/sitt/sine when the owner is the subject of the same clause. If the bike belongs to the subject hun, say: Hun lar meg bruke sin egen sykkel …. Using hennes normally means “some other woman’s” bike: Hun lar meg bruke hennes egen sykkel … implies a different female owner.
What does egen add, and how does it agree?
Egen means “own,” emphasizing personal ownership. It agrees with the noun:
- Masculine/feminine singular: egen (e.g., egen sykkel)
- Neuter singular: eget (e.g., eget hus)
- Plural or grammatically definite: egne (e.g., egne sykler)
Why is sykkel not in the definite form (sykkelen) after hennes?
With a preposed possessive (min/din/hans/hennes/sin placed before the noun), the noun is normally in the indefinite form: hennes egen sykkel. If you place the possessive after the noun, the noun is definite: sykkelen hennes/sin.
Why is it den and not det in vasker den?
Object pronouns agree with the noun’s gender. Sykkel is masculine, so you use den. Use det for neuter nouns (e.g., hus → vasker det).
What gender and forms does sykkel have?
Masculine. Key forms: en sykkel (a bike), sykkelen (the bike), sykler (bikes), syklene (the bikes).
Is hvis the only way to say “if”?
No. Hvis is the default for conditional “if.” Om can also mean “if,” but it also means “whether.” Dersom is a bit more formal/literary and equals hvis.
Why is the present tense used in the hvis-clause for a future condition?
Norwegian normally uses the present to talk about future conditions: hvis jeg vasker den = “if I wash it (then …).” You can optionally add så in the main clause: Hvis jeg vasker den, så lar …
Is the word order in the hvis-clause correct? Why not hvis vasker jeg den?
In subordinate clauses (after hvis), the subject comes before the verb: hvis jeg vasker den. The V2 inversion applies to main clauses, not to clauses introduced by hvis.
Can I move the hvis-clause to the front?
Yes: Hvis jeg vasker den, lar hun meg bruke hennes/sin egen sykkel. Note the comma after the subordinate clause, and the main clause still keeps the verb in second position (lar).
Would låne be more natural than bruke here?
Often, yes. If the idea is “borrow her bike,” låne is idiomatic: Hun lar meg låne … or simply Hun låner meg sykkelen sin. Bruke emphasizes using it as a tool, which can still be fine in many contexts.
What’s the difference between lar meg and får meg til å?
- Lar meg + infinitive = “allows/lets me do …”
- Får meg til å + infinitive = “makes/gets/causes me to do …” (not permission, but causing/persuading).
Why meg and hun/henne/hennes—what are the roles here?
- Hun is the subject form (“she”).
- Meg is the object form (“me”) after lar.
- Henne is the object form (“her”).
- Hennes is the possessive (“her”/“hers” not referring back to the subject). If the owner is the subject, use the reflexive possessive sin instead of hennes.