Jeg stoler på meg selv.

I trust myself.

Breakdown of Jeg stoler på meg selv.

• jeg: I
• stole på: to trust
• meg selv: myself

Questions & Answers about Jeg stoler på meg selv.

Why do we say stoler på and not just stoler?

In Norwegian, the verb å stole (to trust) almost always takes the preposition på when it has an object. Think of it as a fixed expression: å stole på noen/noe = to trust someone/something.

• Jeg stoler på deg. – I trust you.
• Kan jeg stole på dette? – Can I trust this?

Without på, stoler doesn’t sound complete when you’re specifying who or what you trust. So Jeg stoler meg selv is wrong; you need på: Jeg stoler på meg selv.

What does meg selv literally mean, and why do we need selv?

Meg selv literally means “myself”. It’s a combination of:

• meg – me (object form of jeg – I)
• selv – self

You need selv here to make it reflexive in the sense of “myself”:

• Jeg stoler på meg. – grammatically odd/incomplete; native speakers don’t say this.
• Jeg stoler på meg selv. – natural: I trust myself.

So selv is what turns meg into myself, not just me as an object.

Can I ever say Jeg stoler på meg without selv?

Practically speaking: no. In standard Norwegian, if you want to say I trust myself, you say Jeg stoler på meg selv.

Jeg stoler på meg sounds incomplete and unnatural to native speakers. You might occasionally hear it in very casual, fast speech, but it’s not considered correct or idiomatic. For clear, correct Norwegian, always use meg selv here.

How do the other forms of X selv work (you, he, she, etc.)?

Here are the reflexive “-self” forms with selv:

• jeg → meg selv – myself
• du → deg selv – yourself (singular, informal)
• han → seg selv – himself
• hun → seg selv – herself
• den / det → seg selv – itself
• vi → oss selv – ourselves
• dere → dere selv – yourselves (plural)
• de → seg selv – themselves

Examples:

• Du må stole på deg selv. – You must trust yourself.
• Han stoler ikke på seg selv. – He doesn’t trust himself.
• Vi stoler på oss selv. – We trust ourselves.

What’s the difference between å stole på and å tro på?

Both use på, but they’re used differently:

• å stole på = to trust, rely on (someone’s reliability, character, ability)

  • Jeg stoler på legen. – I trust the doctor.
  • Jeg stoler på meg selv. – I trust myself.

• å tro på = to believe in, to have faith in (existence, truth, or value)

  • Jeg tror på Gud. – I believe in God.
  • Jeg tror på deg. – I believe you / I believe what you’re saying.
  • Jeg tror på meg selv. – I believe in myself (similar to trusting in your potential or abilities; more about faith/confidence than reliability).

So:

• stole på meg selv = I trust myself (I rely on my own judgment/character).
• tro på meg selv = I believe in myself (I have confidence in myself, my chances, my abilities).

Is the present tense stoler like English “trust” or “am trusting”?

Norwegian doesn’t have a separate present continuous form like English “am trusting”. The simple present stoler covers both English meanings, depending on context:

• Jeg stoler på meg selv.
  • “I trust myself.” (general, habitual)
  • “I am trusting myself (in this situation).” (current situation)

If you need to emphasize that it’s a general, ongoing truth, you usually just rely on context or add adverbs, e.g.:

• Jeg stoler alltid på meg selv. – I always trust myself.

Does stoler have anything to do with stol (chair)?

They look similar but are unrelated in meaning:

• en stol = a chair
• å stole (på) = to trust (in)

They come from different historical roots. For a learner, it’s best to treat them as completely separate words that just happen to look alike.

What role does selv play in other sentences, apart from meg selv?

Selv is used both:

1. To form reflexive “-self” forms (as in meg selv, seg selv, etc.)

2. For emphasis, similar to English “-self” or “even”:

   • Jeg gjorde det selv. – I did it myself.
   • Jeg selv synes det er vanskelig. – I myself think it’s difficult.
   • Selv han forsto det. – Even he understood it.

In Jeg stoler på meg selv, it’s both reflexive and slightly emphatic: I trust myself (as opposed to others).

Could I say Jeg har tillit til meg selv instead? Is it the same?

Jeg har tillit til meg selv is possible, but it sounds more formal and abstract. Nuance:

• Jeg stoler på meg selv.

  • Very common, neutral, everyday.
  • Feels direct and personal: I trust myself / I rely on myself.

• Jeg har tillit til meg selv.

  • More formal or “written language” feel.
  • Sounds like talking about “confidence” or “having trust” as a quality.

In normal conversation, Jeg stoler på meg selv is the natural choice.

Is the word order in Jeg stoler på meg selv fixed, or can I move things around?

The neutral, normal word order is:

• Jeg (subject) stoler (verb) på (preposition) meg selv (object).

You generally cannot split på from meg selv, and you don’t normally move meg selv in front unless you’re doing special emphasis:

• Jeg stoler på meg selv. – normal.
• På meg selv stoler jeg. – grammatically possible but sounds poetic/very emphatic.
• Jeg selv stoler på meg. – odd/unidiomatic; avoid.

For everyday language, stick to Jeg stoler på meg selv.

How is Jeg stoler på meg selv pronounced?

Approximate pronunciation (standard Eastern Norwegian):

• Jeg – like yai (IPA: /jæɪ/ or /jæ/)
• stoler – sto- like English stoo in stool, -ler like ler in learn but shorter (IPA: /ˈstuːlər/)
• på – like English paw (IPA: /poː/)
• meg – like my (IPA: /mæi/)
• selv – like selv with a clear v at the end (IPA: /selv/)

Spoken fairly quickly, it can sound like:

• Yai STOO-ler po my selv

In what kind of situations would a Norwegian actually say Jeg stoler på meg selv?

Typical uses:

• Talking about self-reliance:

  • Jeg stoler på meg selv når jeg tar viktige avgjørelser.
    – I trust myself when I make important decisions.

• Contrasting with trusting others:

  • Jeg stoler ikke på noen andre, jeg stoler på meg selv.
    – I don’t trust anyone else; I trust myself.

• Discussing confidence:

  • Det viktigste er at jeg stoler på meg selv.
    – The most important thing is that I trust myself.

So it’s often about self-confidence, independence, and relying on your own judgment.