Questions & Answers about Min datter liker å tegne etter skolen.
Why is it Min datter and not Datter min?
Norwegian possessives normally go before the noun:
- min datter = my daughter
However, Norwegian also allows possessives after the noun:
- datteren min = literally the daughter my
Both are correct, but:
- min datter sounds a bit more neutral/formal/written
- datteren min is very common in everyday speech
You cannot say datter min (without the -en ending). If the possessive is after the noun, the noun must be definite: datterEN min.
What’s the difference between min datter and datteren min?
They both mean my daughter.
min datter
- Possessive before the noun
- Noun is indefinite (datter)
- Slightly more formal / typical in written Norwegian
datteren min
- Possessive after the noun
- Noun is definite (datteren = the daughter)
- Very common in spoken language
Semantically they’re almost the same; the difference is mostly style and word order.
Why is it min and not mi for datter?