Familien (family)
Family words, saying how old someone is, and the possessives min and din — and sin, which points back to the subject.
15 minutes · A free lesson from A1: Første steg (first steps) · Roman and Urdu pronunciation guides and English meanings are shown under each phrase
The family
To ask someone's age: Hvor gammel er du? · Jeg er trettito år. For a child: Hun er fire år gammel.
| Hvor gammel er du? | Say voor gammuhl ehr doo? | وُور گاممَل اےر دُو? | Means: How old are you? |
| Jeg er trettito år. | Say yai ehr trehteetoo ohr. | یائی اےر ترےتیتُو اور. | Means: I am thirty-two. |
| Hun er fire år gammel. | Say hoon ehr feeruh ohr gammuhl. | ہُون اےر فیرَ اور گاممَل. | Means: She is four years old. |
A possessive usually comes after the noun and agrees with it: broren min, søsteren min, barnet mitt, foreldrene mine.
| broren min | Say brooruhn meen | برُورَن مین | Means: my brother |
| søsteren min | Say soestehruhn meen | سوےستےرَن مین | Means: my sister |
| barnet mitt | Say barnuht mit | بارنَت مِت | Means: my child |
| foreldrene mine | Say fooruhllrehnuh meenuh | فُورَللرےنَ مینَ | Means: my parents |
With han, hun and de, Norwegian has a special word, sin (or si, sitt, sine), for "his own", "her own" or "their own": Ali besøker moren sin. means Ali visits his own mother. Ali besøker moren hans. means he visits another man's mother. Use sin only when the owner is the subject of the same clause.
| sin | Say seen | سین | Means: his own, her own, their own (with an en word) |
| si | Say see | سی | Means: his own, her own, their own (with an ei word) |
| sitt | Say sit | سِت | Means: his own, her own, their own (with an et word) |
| sine | Say seenuh | سینَ | Means: his own, her own, their own (plural) |
| Ali besøker moren sin. | Say alee buhsoekuhr mooruhn seen. | الی بَسوےکَر مُورَن سین. | Means: Ali visits his (own) mother. |
| Ali besøker moren hans. | Say alee buhsoekuhr mooruhn hans. | الی بَسوےکَر مُورَن ہانس. | Means: Ali visits his mother (another man's mother). |
Familiebilder
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- Sara: Hvem er det på bildet?Say: vehm ehr deh poh billuht?وےم اےر دے پو بِللَت?Means: Who is in the picture?
- Yusuf: Det er familien min. Det er moren og faren min, og det er søsteren min, Aisha.Say: deh ehr fameeleeuhn meen. deh ehr mooruhn oh faruhn meen, oh deh ehr soestehruhn meen, ais-ha.دے اےر فامیلیَن مین. دے اےر مُورَن او فارَن مین, او دے اےر سوےستےرَن مین, ائسہا.Means: That is my family. That is my mother and father, and that is my sister, Aisha.
- Sara: Har du flere søsken?Say: har doo flehruh soeskuhn?ہار دُو فلےرَ سوےسکَن?Means: Do you have more brothers and sisters?
- Yusuf: Ja, jeg har en bror også. Han bor i Karachi med kona si og barna sine.Say: ya, yai har ehn broor ossoh. han boor ee karashee meh koona see oh barna seenuh.یا, یائی ہار اےن برُور اوسسو. ہان بُور ای کاراشی مے کُونا سی او بارنا سینَ.Means: Yes, I have a brother too. He lives in Karachi with his wife and children.
- Sara: Hvor gammel er søsteren din?Say: voor gammuhl ehr soestehruhn deen?وُور گاممَل اےر سوےستےرَن دین?Means: How old is your sister?
- Yusuf: Hun er tjueseks år. Hun er sykepleier.Say: hoon ehr shooehsehks ohr. hoon ehr suekuhplaiuhr.ہُون اےر شُوےسےکس اور. ہُون اےر سیُکَپلائَر.Means: She is twenty-six. She is a nurse.
Say it out loud (45 seconds): Fortell om familien din: Hvem er i familien, hvor bor de, og hva gjør de?Say: furtehl om fameeleeuhn deen. vehm ehr ee fameeleeuhn, voor boor dee, oh va yoer dee?فُرتےل اوم فامیلیَن دین. وےم اےر ای فامیلیَن, وُور بُور دی, او وا یوےر دی?Means: Talk about your family: Who is in the family, where do they live, and what do they do?
A model answer
Familien min er stor. Jeg har to brødre og en søster. Foreldrene mine bor i Lahore, men broren min bor i Oslo med kona si. Søsteren min studerer medisin.Say: fameeleeuhn meen ehr stoor. yai har too broedruh oh ehn soestuhr. fooruhllrehnuh meenuh boor ee lahohr, mehn brooruhn meen boor ee osloo meh koona see. soestehruhn meen stoodehruhr mehdeeseen.فامیلیَن مین اےر ستُور. یائی ہار تُو بروےدرَ او اےن سوےستَر. فُورَللرےنَ مینَ بُور ای لاہور, مےن برُورَن مین بُور ای اوسلُو مے کُونا سی. سوےستےرَن مین ستُودےرَر مےدیسین.Means: My family is big. I have two brothers and a sister. My parents live in Lahore, but my brother lives in Oslo with his wife. My sister is studying medicine.
Lesson quiz
Check what you have learned. Choose an answer to see whether it is right, and why.
Quick check: What does “søsken” mean?
- cousins
- brothers and sisters
- grandparents
Show the answer
B: brothers and sisters — Hvor mange søsken har du? asks how many brothers and sisters you have.
Quick check: Which phrase means that Ali visits his own mother?
- Ali besøker moren hans.
- Ali besøker sin moren.
- Ali besøker moren sin.
Show the answer
C: Ali besøker moren sin. — sin points back to the subject, Ali. moren hans would be another man's mother.
Quick check: Choose the right word: “foreldrene ___” (my)
- mine
- min
- mitt
Show the answer
A: mine — foreldrene is plural, so the possessive is mine.
Quick check: Which question asks someone's age?
- Hvor bor du?
- Hvem er du?
- Hvor gammel er du?
Show the answer
C: Hvor gammel er du? — Hvor gammel er du? means how old are you.
Quick check: What does “Datteren vår går i barnehagen” mean?
- Our daughter goes to kindergarten.
- Our daughter goes to school.
- Our son is at kindergarten.
Show the answer
A: Our daughter goes to kindergarten. — datter means daughter and barnehage means kindergarten.
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