Tenåringen ser seg selv i speilet.

The teenager sees themself in the mirror.

Breakdown of Tenåringen ser seg selv i speilet.

• se: to see
• i: in
• speilet: the mirror
• tenåringen: the teenager
• seg selv: herself

Questions & Answers about Tenåringen ser seg selv i speilet.

In English we say “the teenager”. Why is there no separate word for “the” in Tenåringen?

Norwegian usually puts “the” at the end of the noun as a suffix instead of using a separate word.

• en tenåring = a teenager (indefinite)
• tenåringen = the teenager (definite)

So -en on tenåring is the definite article (the).
You do not normally say den tenåringen for simple “the teenager” – that would more often mean “that (specific) teenager”, adding extra emphasis or contrast.

What does seg selv mean, and why do we need both words?

seg selv is a reflexive expression meaning “himself / herself / themselves” (referring back to the subject).

• seg = reflexive object pronoun for 3rd person (he, she, they)
• selv = self, adds emphasis or clarity

In this sentence:

• Tenåringen (the teenager) is the subject.
• seg selv refers back to Tenåringen → the teenager sees himself/herself/themselves.

Using seg selv instead of just seg makes it very clear that the teenager is looking at their own reflection, not at some other person.

Why can’t we say Tenåringen ser ham / henne i speilet instead?

Because that would change the meaning.

• Tenåringen ser seg selv i speilet
  = The teenager sees himself/herself in the mirror (subject and object are the same person).

• Tenåringen ser ham i speilet
  = The teenager sees him in the mirror (a different male person).

• Tenåringen ser henne i speilet
  = The teenager sees her in the mirror (a different female person).

When the subject and the object are the same person, Norwegian must use the reflexive form: seg (or seg selv). Using ham / henne would mean it’s someone else.

Is seg masculine or feminine? Does it mean “himself” or “herself”?

seg (and seg selv) is gender‑neutral in Norwegian. It can mean:

• himself
• herself
• themself / themselves (singular “they” / plural “they”)

So:

• Tenåringen ser seg selv i speilet
  could be translated as The teenage boy/girl/person sees himself/herself/themself in the mirror depending on context.

Norwegian doesn’t show gender in seg; you infer it from the rest of the context if needed.

Why is it ser and not something like “is looking” with two words?

Norwegian has only one present tense form, and it covers both English simple and continuous forms.

• Tenåringen ser seg selv i speilet.
  can mean:
  • The teenager sees himself/herself in the mirror.
  • The teenager is looking at himself/herself in the mirror.

There is no separate “-ing” form or auxiliary like is in Norwegian. Context decides whether you translate it as simple present or present continuous in English.

What’s the difference between ser and ser på? Could we say Tenåringen ser på seg selv i speilet?

Both are possible, but there’s a nuance:

• å se noe = to see something (more neutral, perception)
• å se på noe = to look at something (actively directing your gaze)

In practice:

• Tenåringen ser seg selv i speilet.
  = The teenager sees / is looking at himself/herself in the mirror.
• Tenåringen ser på seg selv i speilet.
  = The teenager is looking at himself/herself in the mirror (slightly more focus on the act of looking).

Both sentences are grammatically correct; ser seg selv i speilet is very natural, and ser på seg selv i speilet just adds a tiny bit more emphasis to the looking at idea.

Why is the word order ser seg selv i speilet and not ser i speilet seg selv?

Norwegian has fairly strict word order for pronouns. Short object pronouns (like seg) usually come before prepositional phrases (like i speilet).

So the natural order is:

• [verb] + [object pronoun(s)] + [prepositional phrase]
  → ser seg selv i speilet

Saying:

• Tenåringen ser i speilet seg selv

sounds very unnatural and is effectively wrong in standard Norwegian. You keep seg (selv) close to the verb, and extra information (time, place, manner) like i speilet normally comes after.

Why is it speilet and not just speil?

Same reason as Tenåringen: the definite article is attached to the noun as a suffix.

• et speil = a mirror (indefinite, neuter noun)
• speilet = the mirror (definite, neuter)

In the sentence, we’re talking about a specific mirror (the one the teenager is standing in front of), so we use the definite form speilet: in *the mirror*.

Why do we use i speilet and not på speilet?

Norwegian uses i here because you’re looking in the mirror (into its surface, seeing a reflection), parallel to English:

• i = in
• på = on

So:

• i speilet = in the mirror (for reflections)
• på speilet = on the mirror (something physically on its surface: dust, stickers, writing).

In this context, the natural choice is i speilet.

Could we say Tenåringen ser seg i speilet without selv? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say:

• Tenåringen ser seg i speilet.

This is also correct Norwegian and means basically the same thing: The teenager sees himself/herself in the mirror.

Nuance:

• ser seg i speilet is a very common, idiomatic phrasing.
• ser seg selv i speilet adds a bit of explicitness/emphasis (like stressing the “self” part).

In everyday speech, ser seg i speilet is probably even more frequent. Both forms are fine.

Is Tenåringen grammatically masculine, and does that affect anything in the sentence?

The noun tenåring is usually treated as masculine in Bokmål:

• en tenåring (a teenager)
• tenåringen (the teenager)

However:

• It can refer to any gender in real life (boy, girl, non-binary, etc.).
• The reflexive pronoun seg (selv) does not show gender, so the form of the sentence doesn’t change with the teenager’s gender.

If you really wanted to specify gender, you’d do it with additional words (e.g. Den kvinnelige tenåringen…, the female teenager), not by changing seg.