Fantasien hjelper når hun føler seg ensom.

The imagination helps when she feels lonely.

Breakdown of Fantasien hjelper når hun føler seg ensom.

• hun: she
• når: when
• hjelpe: to help
• føle seg: to feel
• ensom: lonely
• fantasien: the fantasy

Questions & Answers about Fantasien hjelper når hun føler seg ensom.

Why is it fantasien and not fantasi?

Norwegian has two forms here:

• fantasi = imagination (indefinite)
• fantasien = the imagination (definite)

By saying Fantasien hjelper, the sentence refers to a specific, known imagination – in context, usually her imagination.

If you said Fantasi hjelper når hun føler seg ensom, it would sound more like a general statement about imagination as a concept, not about her particular imagination stepping in to help her. Both can be grammatically correct, but fantasien sounds more natural here.

Where is the word the in Norwegian? Why is there no separate word like in English?

Norwegian normally shows the by adding an ending to the noun instead of using a separate word:

• en fantasi = a(n) imagination
• fantasien = the imagination

So the -en ending on fantasien is the definite article, equivalent to English the.
You only use a separate word (den, det, de) with adjectives or for emphasis, e.g. den sterke fantasien (the strong imagination).

Why is it når hun føler seg ensom and not da hun føler seg ensom?

In Norwegian:

• når is used:
  • for present and future time
  • for repeated / general situations in any tense
• da is used:
  • for a single, specific event in the past

Here, the sentence talks about something that can happen whenever she feels lonely (a repeated/general situation), so når is correct.

You would use da in a sentence like:
Da hun var liten, hjalp fantasien henne ofte.
(When she was little, her imagination often helped her.) – specific time in the past.

Why is it hun and not henne?

Norwegian has subject and object forms of she:

• hun = she (subject)
• henne = her (object)

In the sentence, hun is the subject of føler seg:

• hun føler seg = she feels (herself)

You would use henne in object position, for example:
Fantasien hjelper henne. (The imagination helps her.)

Why do you say føler seg ensom and not just føler ensom?

In Norwegian, many verbs about physical and emotional states are used with a reflexive pronoun + adjective:

• å føle seg + adjective = to feel + adjective
  
  • Jeg føler meg trøtt. = I feel tired.
  • Hun føler seg ensom. = She feels lonely.

If you said hun føler ensom, it would be wrong; the verb føle normally needs either:

• a reflexive pronoun + adjective (føler seg ensom), or
• an object (føler smerte = feels pain).

Could you say Hun er ensom instead of Hun føler seg ensom? What is the difference?

Yes, both are correct, but there is a nuance:

• Hun er ensom.
  States it as a fact: she is lonely.

• Hun føler seg ensom.
  Focuses more on her subjective experience: she feels lonely.

In many contexts they overlap and either can be used, but føler seg ensom emphasizes the internal feeling a bit more.

What is the difference between ensom and alene?

They are related but not identical:

• ensom = lonely (emotional state)

  • Hun føler seg ensom. = She feels lonely.

• alene = alone (physically by oneself; can be neutral)

  • Hun er alene hjemme. = She is alone at home.

You can be alene without feeling ensom, and you can feel ensom even when you are not alene.
Sometimes both can appear together: Hun er alene og føler seg ensom.

Why is the verb hjelper in second position? Could I start with Når hun føler seg ensom?

Yes, you can start with the når-clause, but Norwegian has a strict rule that the verb of the main clause normally comes in second position (the V2 rule).

Two natural variants:

1. Fantasien hjelper når hun føler seg ensom.

   • Subject (Fantasien) first, then verb (hjelper).

2. Når hun føler seg ensom, hjelper fantasien.

   • The whole når-clause comes first.
   • Then, in the main clause, the verb hjelper must come before the subject fantasien.

You cannot say Når hun føler seg ensom, fantasien hjelper; that breaks the V2 rule.

Why is the reflexive form seg used and not meg, deg, etc.?

Seg is the third‑person reflexive pronoun in Norwegian, used when the subject is han, hun, den, det, or de:

• jeg føler meg (I feel)
• du føler deg (you feel)
• han/hun føler seg (he/she feels)
• vi føler oss (we feel)
• dere føler dere (you plural feel)
• de føler seg (they feel)

In the sentence the subject is hun, so the correct reflexive pronoun is seg:
hun føler seg ensom.

Could you also say Fantasien hjelper til når hun føler seg ensom? What is the difference?

You can say hjelper til, but there is a nuance:

• hjelper alone often means helps in a more direct, active way.
• hjelper til can sound a bit softer or more like helps out / contributes.

In this sentence, both are possible, but Fantasien hjelper når hun føler seg ensom is more standard and neutral. Hjelper til would make it sound slightly more like the imagination is one contributing factor among others.

Do you need a comma before når in this sentence?

In the original word order:

• Fantasien hjelper når hun føler seg ensom.

No comma is used before når when the main clause comes first.

If you put the når‑clause first, you normally add a comma:

• Når hun føler seg ensom, hjelper fantasien.

So the rule of thumb:

• [main clause] [subordinate clause] → usually no comma
• [subordinate clause], [main clause] → usually comma

How do you pronounce hjelper and ensom?

Approximate pronunciation:

• hjelper:

  • hj is pronounced like y in yes (the j is not silent).
  • Roughly: YEL-per (with a short e as in get).

• ensom:

  • en like en in end (but a bit shorter).
  • som like som in some, but with a clear o (closer to sawm).
  • Roughly: EN-som.

In IPA (approximate):

• hjelper: /ˈjɛlpər/
• ensom: /ˈɛnːsɔm/