Norwegian grammar in use
Min venn or vennen min in Norwegian: Examples and Practice
Min venn and vennen min both mean my friend. Learn how possessive position changes the noun’s form, then practise eight examples with answers.
The short answer
Vennen min and min venn are both correct ways to say “my friend”. For the ordinary noun phrases practised here, use:
- Noun first: definite noun + possessive, as in vennen min.
- Possessive first: possessive + indefinite noun, as in min venn.
The noun-first order is common in everyday Norwegian. Putting the possessive first can emphasise whose it is, and also appears in more formal styles. It is not automatically wrong, unnatural or emphatic in every context.
Try changing the order while keeping the meaning. Reveal each model answer after saying or writing your version.
Eight examples with answers
Examples with answers
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Prompt
Put the noun first. Keep the meaning “my friend”. min venn → ___
Show answer and explanation
Answer and explanation
vennen min my friend A possessive after the noun goes with the definite form vennen.
Prompt
Put the possessive first. Keep the meaning “my key”. nøkkelen min → ___
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Answer and explanation
min nøkkel my key Before the noun, min goes with the indefinite form nøkkel.
Prompt
Put the noun first. Keep the meaning “my room”. mitt rom → ___
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Answer and explanation
rommet mitt my room Rom is neuter. Keep mitt and change rom to the definite form rommet.
Prompt
Put the possessive first, keeping the feminine Bokmål form. veska mi → ___
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Answer and explanation
mi veske my bag Mi agrees with feminine veske. The noun is indefinite after the possessive.
Prompt
Put the noun first. Keep the plural meaning “my shoes”. mine sko → ___
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Answer and explanation
skoene mine my shoes Use the definite plural skoene and the plural possessive mine.
Prompt
Put the possessive first. Keep the meaning “your keys”. nøklene dine → ___
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Answer and explanation
dine nøkler your keys The plural indefinite form is nøkler. Dine stays plural.
Prompt
Someone thinks a backpack belongs to them. Contrast the owners, beginning with Det er min. Say: “It is my backpack, not yours.”
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Answer and explanation
Det er min sekk, ikke din. It is my backpack, not yours. Min before the indefinite sekk fits this explicit contrast. This is one model, not the only way to stress the owner.
Prompt
Put the noun first. Keep the meaning “her bicycle”. hennes sykkel → ___
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Answer and explanation
sykkelen hennes her bicycle Hennes stays unchanged. Sykkel becomes the definite form sykkelen.
Usage notes
Keep the two changes together. Moving min after venn also makes the noun definite: min venn → vennen min. For this pattern, do not combine the orders as min vennen.
Match gender and number. Compare min nøkkel / nøkkelen min, mi veske / veska mi, mitt rom / rommet mitt and mine sko / skoene mine. Bokmål also permits min veske / vesken min.
Emphasis depends on the exchange. Det er min sekk, ikke din contrasts the owners. You can also stress min in Det er sekken min. Position alone does not determine the speaker’s tone.
Not every possessive changes its form. Hennes stays the same: hennes sykkel / sykkelen hennes. Choosing whose possession you mean is a separate question from deciding where to place the possessive.
These exercises cover simple noun phrases. Phrases with adjectives and fixed expressions have additional patterns.
References: NTNU LearnNoW: possessive position and noun forms and NTNU LearnNoW2: position, emphasis and style.