Jeg skriver i min egen dagbok hver kveld.

I write in my own diary every evening.

Breakdown of Jeg skriver i min egen dagbok hver kveld.

• jeg: I
• i: in
• skrive: to write
• hver: every
• min: my
• kvelden: the evening
• dagboken: the diary
• egen: separate

Questions & Answers about Jeg skriver i min egen dagbok hver kveld.

What tense is skriver, and does it mean I write or I am writing?

Skriver is the present tense of the verb å skrive (to write).

Norwegian has only one present tense form, and it covers both:

• English I write
• and I am writing

So Jeg skriver i min egen dagbok hver kveld can be translated as:

• I write in my own diary every evening, or
• I am writing in my own diary every evening (as a habit)

Context decides which English form sounds more natural; in this sentence, it describes a regular habit.

Why is the preposition i used here? Could it be på instead?

In Norwegian, i literally means in, and it’s the natural preposition for writing in something that is seen as a container or a book:

• skrive i en bok – to write in a book
• skrive i dagboka – to write in the diary

På (on) is used in other expressions:

• skrive på tavla – write on the board
• skrive på et brev – to be working on a letter (literally writing on a letter)

So Jeg skriver i min egen dagbok is the normal, idiomatic choice. Jeg skriver på min egen dagbok would sound wrong in standard Norwegian for this meaning.

Why is it min egen dagbok instead of just min dagbok or just dagbok?

The phrase is built like this:

• min = my
• egen = own
• dagbok = diary

So:

• min dagbok = my diary
• min egen dagbok = my own diary (with extra emphasis that it’s my own, not someone else’s)

Reasons to include each word:

• Using min tells us whose diary it is.
• Using egen adds emphasis or contrast, for example:
  • You write in your own diary, not in someone else’s.
  • You keep a diary that belongs personally to you.

If you said only Jeg skriver i dagbok hver kveld, that would mean I write in a diary every evening, but not clearly that the diary is yours. It sounds more generic.

Can I leave out egen or min? What changes?

Yes, you can:

1. Jeg skriver i min dagbok hver kveld.

   • Perfectly fine and common.
   • Means I write in my diary every evening.
   • No special emphasis that it’s my own as opposed to someone else’s.

2. Jeg skriver i dagbok hver kveld.

   • Grammatically correct, but more generic.
   • Means I write in a diary every evening, as an activity/habit.
   • It doesn’t clearly state that the diary is yours; maybe it is, maybe not. Often sounds like you’re describing the activity of journaling, not ownership.

3. Jeg skriver i min egen dagbok hver kveld.

   • Emphasizes ownership or contrast: in my own diary.
   • Useful if you want to stress that it’s not shared, not someone else’s, etc.

So all three are possible, but the nuance of ownership and emphasis changes.

Why is it min and not mitt or mi?

Norwegian possessives agree with the gender and number of the noun:

• en-words (masculine/common gender) → min
• ei-words (feminine) → mi (or min in Bokmål if you don’t use the feminine form)
• et-words (neuter) → mitt
• plural → mine

Dagbok is an en-word (masculine/common gender) in Bokmål:

• en dagbok – a diary
• dagboken / dagboka – the diary

Therefore, the correct possessive in front position is:

• min dagbok – my diary

So min is correct; mitt dagbok or mi dagbok would be wrong in standard Bokmål (though mi dagbok might occur in dialectal speech with feminine gender).

Why is there no article like en in front of dagbok? Why not i en dagbok?

The possessive min already signals that the noun is indefinite and owned, so you cannot also use en:

• i en dagbok = in a diary (no owner mentioned)
• i min dagbok = in my diary (possessive replaces en)

In Norwegian, you don’t combine:

• article + possessive + noun in this order
  ✗ i en min dagbok (incorrect)

You either say:

• i min dagbok (possessive before, noun in indefinite form)
  or
• i dagboka mi / i dagboken min (possessive after, noun in definite form)

But you don’t stack an indefinite article with a possessive in normal Bokmål.

Could I say Jeg skriver i dagboka mi hver kveld instead? Is it different?

Yes, that’s a very natural alternative, especially in spoken Norwegian:

• Jeg skriver i min dagbok hver kveld.
  
  • Possessive before the noun.
  • Noun in indefinite form (dagbok).
• Jeg skriver i dagboka mi hver kveld. (or i dagboken min)
  
  • Possessive after the noun.
  • Noun in definite form (dagboka / dagboken).

Meaning-wise, they are essentially the same: I write in my diary every evening.

Style/feel:

• min dagbok (preposed possessive) can feel a bit more formal, written, or emphatic.
• dagboka mi (postposed possessive) is very common in everyday speech and feels more neutral/conversational.

If you also want egen, you could say:

• i min egen dagbok
• i min egen dagbok (postposed with egen is less common: i den egen dagboka mi doesn’t work; you’d normally keep egen before the noun.)

What exactly does egen mean, and how is it used in other sentences?

Egen means own (as in one’s own). It emphasizes personal ownership or something that belongs specifically to someone.

It changes form depending on gender/number:

• egen – masculine/feminine singular (min egen bil, min egen bok)
• eget – neuter singular (mitt eget rom)
• egne – plural (mine egne venner)

Examples:

• Hun har sitt eget rom. – She has her own room.
• Vi bruker vår egen bil. – We use our own car.
• De har sine egne meninger. – They have their own opinions.

In min egen dagbok, it marks that the diary is personally yours, not shared or someone else’s.

Why is hver kveld at the end? Could it go somewhere else?

Hver kveld means every evening and is a time expression. In Norwegian, the neutral and most common place for time expressions in a main clause is towards the end:

• Jeg skriver i min egen dagbok hver kveld.

You can move hver kveld for emphasis or style:

• Hver kveld skriver jeg i min egen dagbok.
  
  • Fronting the time expression puts extra focus on every evening.
• Jeg skriver hver kveld i min egen dagbok.
  
  • Also possible, but the original order (… i min egen dagbok hver kveld) usually sounds smoother.

Basic rule of thumb:
Subject – verb – (object/prepositional phrase) – time is very typical:

• Jeg (subject)
• skriver (verb)
• i min egen dagbok (place/thing)
• hver kveld (time)

Is there a difference between hver kveld and om kvelden?

Yes:

• hver kveld = every evening, stressing each individual evening, a repeated habit.
• om kvelden = in the evening(s), more general about time of day, not necessarily every single evening.

Compare:

• Jeg skriver i dagboka mi hver kveld.
  
  • I write in my diary every evening (without exception, as a regular routine).
• Jeg liker å lese om kvelden.
  
  • I like to read in the evenings / in the evening (generally, when it’s evening).

So hver kveld is stronger and clearer about frequency than om kvelden.

Does Norwegian distinguish between I write and I am writing like English does?

No. Norwegian has one present tense that covers both meanings.

• Jeg skriver can mean:
  • I write (regularly, in general), or
  • I am writing (right now).

Context tells you which interpretation fits:

• Jeg skriver i dagboka mi hver kveld.
  
  • Habit → I write in my diary every evening.
• Ikke ring nå, jeg skriver i dagboka mi.
  
  • Ongoing action → Don’t call now, I’m writing in my diary.

Is dagbok always masculine? What about dagboka vs dagboken?

In Bokmål, dagbok is normally treated as a masculine (en-) word:

• en dagbok – a diary
• dagboken or dagboka – the diary

Both dagboken and dagboka are correct Bokmål.

• dagboken is the more traditional/bookish form.
• dagboka is more colloquial and common in speech.

Because it’s an en-word, you use:

• min dagbok – my diary
• dagboken min / dagboka mi – my diary (possessive after, with definite form)

In many dialects, speakers treat lots of -bok words as feminine, so you might also hear ei dagbok / dagboka mi, but standard Bokmål is fine with just masculine (en dagbok, min dagbok).