Questions & Answers about Jeg holder meg inne i dag, for jeg er forkjølet.
Why does it say holder meg? What is meg doing here?
In holde seg inne (to stay indoors), seg is reflexive: it refers back to the subject.
So:
- Jeg holder meg inne = I’m staying indoors (I’m “keeping myself” inside)
- Han holder seg inne = He’s staying indoors
You normally don’t say Jeg holder inne to mean I’m staying indoors; without the reflexive pronoun it sounds incomplete or like something is missing (e.g., holding something inside).
Is holde seg inne the same as bli hjemme?
They overlap, but the focus is slightly different:
- holde seg inne = emphasize being indoors (not going outside)
- bli hjemme = emphasize staying at home (not going out somewhere)
In many everyday situations they’re interchangeable, but holde seg inne can work even if “home” isn’t the key idea (e.g., staying inside a cabin, indoors at a hotel).
Why is it inne and not inn?