Jeg beundrer motet hans.

I

Breakdown of Jeg beundrer motet hans.

• hans: his
• beundre: to admire
• motet: the courage

Questions & Answers about Jeg beundrer motet hans.

What does each word in Jeg beundrer motet hans mean literally?

Word-by-word:

• jeg = I
• beundrer = admire (present tense of å beundre = to admire)
• motet = the courage (from mot = courage, neuter noun, definite form)
• hans = his

So the structure is literally I admire the courage his, which is how Norwegian usually expresses I admire his courage.

---

Why is it motet and not just mot?

Motet is the definite form of the noun mot (courage).

• mot = courage (indefinite)
• motet = the courage (definite, neuter singular: stem + -et)

Norwegian often uses a definite noun + possessive to express English his/her X:

• motet hans = literally the courage his = his courage
• boka hennes = the book her = her book

So Jeg beundrer motet hans follows the normal pattern [the noun] + [possessive].

---

Why does beundrer end in -r? Is that because of jeg?