Han kjenner seg selv bedre nå.

he

Breakdown of Han kjenner seg selv bedre nå.

• nå: now
• bedre: better
• kjenne: to know

Questions & Answers about Han kjenner seg selv bedre nå.

What exactly does kjenner mean here, and how is it different from vet?

Norwegian has two common verbs for “to know”:

• kjenne – to know in the sense of be familiar with, be acquainted with, know personally/through experience.

  • Han kjenner seg selv bedre nå. = He knows himself better now (he is more familiar with himself, with who he is).
  • Jeg kjenner ham. = I know him (personally).

• vite – to know facts, information.

  • Han vet svaret. = He knows the answer.
  • Jeg vet at han kommer. = I know that he is coming.

In Han kjenner seg selv bedre nå, we’re talking about deeper familiarity/understanding of oneself, so kjenner is correct; vet would sound wrong here.

Why do we say seg selv and not just seg or ham?