Norwegian grammar in use
Hennes vs sin in Norwegian: Examples and Practice
Hennes means her or hers. Sin, si, sitt and sine point back to a third-person subject who owns something. Practise identifying the owner in eight examples.
The short answer
Nora finner sekken sin. Nora finds her own backpack.
Nora finner sekken hennes. Nora finds another woman’s or girl’s backpack, whose identity comes from context.
In these simple clauses, sin, si, sitt and sine refer back to the third-person subject: the person or people doing the action. They do not mean “her” specifically. Jon finner sekken sin means Jon finds his own backpack.
The form follows the thing owned: sekken sin, veska si, passet sitt, nøklene sine. Hennes stays the same with all of them. These examples use Bokmål, including feminine forms such as veska si.
Read who owns the object before choosing a form. Say the full sentence, then reveal the explanation.
Eight examples with answers
Examples with answers
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Prompt
Nora is looking for her own backpack. Fill the gap. Nora leter etter sekken ___.
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Answer and explanation
Nora leter etter sekken sin. Nora is looking for her own backpack. Nora is the subject and owner. Sekken takes sin.
Prompt
Nora is looking for Ida’s backpack. Ida is the female owner already mentioned. Fill the gap with a possessive. Nora leter etter sekken ___.
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Answer and explanation
Nora leter etter sekken hennes. Nora is looking for her backpack, meaning Ida’s. The owner is not the subject Nora. Hennes refers to Ida in this context.
Prompt
Maja opens her own bag. Keep the feminine form veska. Maja åpner veska ___.
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Answer and explanation
Maja åpner veska si. Maja opens her own bag. Si agrees with the feminine singular veska.
Prompt
Jon checks his own passport. Jon sjekker passet ___.
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Answer and explanation
Jon sjekker passet sitt. Jon checks his own passport. Passet is neuter singular, so use sitt. The owner being male does not change that.
Prompt
Nora puts her own keys on the table. Nora legger nøklene ___ på bordet.
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Answer and explanation
Nora legger nøklene sine på bordet. Nora puts her own keys on the table. Nøklene is plural, so use sine.
Prompt
Ida owns the passport. Nora finds it. Refer to Ida with a possessive. Nora finner passet ___.
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Answer and explanation
Nora finner passet hennes. Nora finds her passport, meaning Ida’s. Hennes does not change to match a neuter noun. Sitt would refer to Nora here.
Prompt
You are talking about Ida. Say that her bicycle is outside. Begin with Sykkelen. Sykkelen ___ står ute.
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Answer and explanation
Sykkelen hennes står ute. Her bicycle is outside. Sykkelen hennes is the subject. Hennes refers to Ida, supplied by the context.
Prompt
The children fetch their own jackets. Barna henter jakkene ___.
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Answer and explanation
Barna henter jakkene sine. The children fetch their own jackets. A third-person plural subject can also use a reflexive possessive. Sine agrees with plural jakkene.
Usage notes
Find the subject first. In Nora finner sekken sin, Nora is the subject and the backpack belongs to Nora. In Jon finner sekken sin, it belongs to Jon. The owner’s gender does not choose sin, si, sitt or sine.
Match the noun. Use sin for a masculine singular noun, si for a feminine singular noun, sitt for a neuter singular noun, and sine for a plural noun. Bokmål also allows masculine forms for feminine nouns: vesken sin is an alternative to veska si.
Hennes needs context. It can refer to a female owner previously mentioned, and its form does not change with the noun. In Sykkelen hennes står ute, the whole phrase sykkelen hennes is the subject. Do not replace hennes with sin to make this ordinary standalone sentence.
Keep this rule within its scope. The exercises use simple clauses and third-person subjects. First and second person use forms such as min and din. Sentences containing several clauses or infinitives need a closer look at the grammatical relationship; the nearest name is not a reliable shortcut.
References: NTNU LearnNoW: possessive forms and reflexive possessives.