Difference between revisions of "Possessive constructions in Norwegian"

Revision as of 17:48, 20 December 2015

This page relates to the application A Norwegian Grammar Sparrer, see A Norwegian Grammar Sparrer.

On clicking on the icon below, you will come to the Sparrer:

,

Instructions for its use are found at Classroom:Norwegian Grammar Checking

Possessive construction here subsumes constructions with possessive pronouns and with NPs with an -s attached at the end (without apostrophe).

Forms of Possessive pronouns

Possessive pronouns come in three patterns:

Pattern 1:  hans ('his'), hennes ('her'), dens ('its', masc and fem.), dets ('its', neut.), 
dennes ('this one's', masc and fem.), dettes ('that one's', neuter), deres (your', plur., and 'their', plur.)
Pattern 2: min ('my'), din ('your'), sin (reflexive 'his', 'her')
Pattern 3: vår ('our'). 

Pattern 1 uses essentially a personal pronoun plus -s; see Personal pronouns in Norwegian.

Pattern 2 inflects as follows':

with a masculine singular noun:  min,  din,  sin
with a feminine singular noun: mi,  di,  si
with a neuter singular noun: mitt, ditt, sitt
with a plural noun, any gender: mine, dine, sine

Pattern 3, i.e., vår, has the pattern:

with a masculine singular noun:  vår
with a feminine singular noun: vår
with a neuter singular noun: vårt
with a plural noun, any gender: våre

Constructions using possessive pronouns

BEING WRITTEN

1. 'Possessive pronouns occurring before the noun

Possessive pronouns occupy the position otherwise held by the definite article, and they may be said to induce a definiteness effect in that they require the weak form of the adjective. Contrary to the definite article, however, the ensuing noun has to be in indefinite form:

2. 'Possessive pronouns occurring after the noun

For possessive pronouns, another position of occurrence is immediately after the noun, which then has to be in definite form:

3. Possessive pronoun occurring before the noun, together with a possessor NP

Possessive NPs with -s

TO BE WRITTEN

den rike bondens (tre) (små) griser

den rike bondens (lille) gris

• den rike bondens (tre) (små) grisene