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Questions & Answers about Bestefar lever fortsatt.
Why is Bestefar capitalized? Is it a name or just “grandfather”?
In Norwegian, close family titles can be used like proper names when you’re referring to your own family member directly. Then they are often capitalized:
- Bestefar = Grandpa (as a kind of name)
- bestefar = a grandfather / the grandfather (more like a common noun)
So Bestefar lever fortsatt. is most naturally understood as “Grandpa is still alive.” rather than “A grandfather is still alive.”
Why is there no word for “my”? Shouldn’t it be “Min bestefar lever fortsatt”?
You can say Min bestefar lever fortsatt. That’s perfectly correct and means “My grandfather is still alive.”
However, when talking about close family, Norwegian often drops the possessive (min, mi, mitt, mine) and uses the kinship word alone, especially when it’s clear from context:
- Bestefar lever fortsatt. = My grandfather is still alive.
- Mamma kommer i morgen. = My mom is coming tomorrow.
- Onkel jobber i Oslo. = My uncle works in Oslo.
So the “my” is simply understood from context.
What exactly does lever mean here? Is it the same as English “lives”?