Hun har på seg en rød genser.

She is wearing a red sweater.

Breakdown of Hun har på seg en rød genser.

• hun: she
• en: a
• genseren: the sweater
• rød: red
• ha på seg: to wear

Questions & Answers about Hun har på seg en rød genser.

Why do we need all three words har på seg instead of just har?

Har på seg is a fixed expression that means is wearing.

• har = has
• på = on
• seg = herself / himself / themselves

So literally it is has on herself, which corresponds to is wearing in English.

If you say only Hun har en rød genser, it normally means She has a red sweater (owns it), not that she is wearing it right now. You need the full expression har på seg to talk about wearing.

What does seg refer to here, and can it change?

Seg is a reflexive pronoun. It refers back to the subject hun.

• Hun har på seg … = She has on herself …
• Because the subject is 3rd person (hun/han/de), the reflexive form is seg.

For other persons, it changes:

• Jeg har på meg en rød genser. (I am wearing…)
• Du har på deg en rød genser. (You are wearing…)
• Vi har på oss en rød genser. (We are wearing…)
• Dere har på dere en rød genser. (You, plural, are wearing…)
• De har på seg en rød genser. (They are wearing…)

You would not say Hun har på henne en rød genser; henne would refer to another woman, not to hun herself.

Could Hun har en rød genser ever mean She is wearing a red sweater?

Normally, no.

• Hun har en rød genser is understood as She has/owns a red sweater.
• To say she is wearing it right now, Norwegian uses verbs or expressions that specifically mean wear:
  
  • Hun har på seg en rød genser.
  • Hun går med en rød genser. (literally: walks/goes with)

Context could occasionally make Hun har en rød genser på understandable as is wearing, but you still need på, and har på seg is by far the most natural and common.

Can I change the word order, for example to Hun har en rød genser på seg?

Yes, there is some flexibility, and several variants are natural:

• Hun har på seg en rød genser. ← very common, neutral
• Hun har en rød genser på seg. ← also fine and common
• Hun har en rød genser på. ← natural in speech; seg is often dropped here

You normally cannot break up på seg in other ways (for example, Hun har på en rød genser seg is wrong).

As a learner, sticking to Hun har på seg … is safe and idiomatic.

Why is the article en used before rød genser?

Norwegian has grammatical gender. Nouns are typically:

• masculine: en
• feminine: ei
• neuter: et

Genser (sweater/jumper) is a masculine noun in Bokmål, so you use en:

• en genser (a sweater)
• genseren (the sweater)

So the correct phrase is en rød genser.
You would not say et rød genser or ei rød genser.

Why is it rød genser and not rødt genser or røde genser?

Adjectives in Norwegian agree with the noun in gender, number, and definiteness.

For rød (red):

• Masculine, indefinite singular: en rød genser
• Neuter, indefinite singular: et rødt hus (a red house)
• Plural (both genders), or definite forms: røde
  
  • røde gensere (red sweaters)
  • den røde genseren (the red sweater)

In the sentence Hun har på seg en rød genser, we have:

• masculine noun (genser)
• singular
• indefinite (en, not den)

So the correct adjective form is rød.

In English we say She is wearing, but Norwegian uses Hun har på seg with a simple present har. Why?

Norwegian does not have a separate continuous form like English is wearing / is doing.

The present tense (like har, går, spiser) usually covers both:

• Hun spiser. = She eats / She is eating
• Hun leser. = She reads / She is reading

So Hun har på seg en rød genser naturally corresponds to English She is wearing a red sweater, even though Norwegian uses a simple present form.

Is har på seg only for clothes, or also for things like glasses and jewelry?

Har på seg is used for clothing and many things you wear on your body:

• Hun har på seg en kjole. (a dress)
• Han har på seg briller. (glasses)
• Hun har på seg øredobber. (earrings)
• De har på seg luer. (hats/beanies)

It sounds natural for most items you put on. For some accessories you can also use har alone in practice (Han har briller can mean He wears glasses), but har på seg is a clear, safe choice for the idea of wearing.

What is the difference between har på seg, tar på seg, and kler på seg?

They describe different stages of dressing:

• har på seg = is wearing / has on

  • Hun har på seg en rød genser.
  • Focus: the clothes are already on her.

• tar på seg = puts on (one item or a few items)

  • Hun tar på seg en rød genser.
  • She is in the act of putting the sweater on.

• kler på seg = gets dressed / dresses herself (more general)

  • Hun kler på seg. = She is getting dressed.
  • Often about putting on clothes in general, not one specific item.

So: tar på seg and kler på seg describe the action of dressing, har på seg describes the result.

Are there alternatives to har på seg or to the word genser in everyday language?

Yes, there are some common alternatives:

For wearing:

• Hun går med en rød genser.
  
  • Literally: goes with a red sweater; often used like wears.
• Hun har en rød genser på.
  
  • More informal; seg is often dropped in this pattern in speech.

For genser (sweater/jumper):

• genser is the standard word.
• ullgenser = wool sweater
• hettegenser = hoodie
• trøye can, in some dialects and contexts, mean a kind of sweater or undershirt, but it is less general and depends on region.

In neutral Bokmål, Hun har på seg en rød genser is the most standard and clear way to say She is wearing a red sweater.