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?