Breakdown of Nøkkelknippet mitt ligger på kjøkkenbenken.
på
on
mitt
my
ligge
to lie (be located)
nøkkelknippet
bunch of keys
Questions & Answers about Nøkkelknippet mitt ligger på kjøkkenbenken.
Why is it nøkkelknippet and not nøkkelknippe?
Nøkkelknippe is the dictionary/base form (indefinite singular). Here you have the keyring/bunch of keys, so Norwegian uses the definite singular form:
- et nøkkelknippe = a keyring / a bunch of keys
- nøkkelknippet = the keyring / the bunch of keys
The -t at the end matches the fact that nøkkelknippe is neuter (et-word).
Why is the possessive mitt placed after the noun: nøkkelknippet mitt?
In Norwegian, it’s very common (and often the neutral/most natural option) to put the possessive after the noun. When you do that, the noun is typically in the definite form:
- nøkkelknippet mitt = my keyring (literally “the keyring my”)
You can also place the possessive before the noun, but then the noun usually becomes indefinite: - mitt nøkkelknippe = my keyring
Both are correct; the postposed possessive is extremely common in everyday Norwegian.
Why is it mitt and not min?