"The man loves his girl."

Translation: Mannen elsker jenta si.

[Le_choc]

I'm so confused about when you use "hans/hennes" vs "sin/sitt/si"

[Leidolfr]

Yeah, the program should explain more complex ideas like this rather than relying solely on hopes that the users will figure it out on their own over time. It would make it less frustrating, more effective, and quicker.

[DaveV17]

They give a pretty good explanation in the grammar notes/tips section, but right now thats only on desktop and it sucks to have to go back and forth between the desktop and the app. I might make a pdf and just print out all the notes in one long document...

[TARDISToni]

It does? I'm looking at the Tips and Notes, and I don't see it mentioned at all. It's true that I'm using an Android-based tablet, so maybe I've got the mobile version, but I am using Chrome browser to view the Tips and Notes. Is it possible this information is somehow missing from the mobile version of the page? Who else sees or doesn't see it here?

https://www.duolingo.com/skill/nb/Possessives/tips-and-notes

[Tom660981]

same page I tried for help. It doesn't even mention si/sin/sitt

[sanchezanderson]

Why does it have a "si" at the end instead of "sin"?

[Agy_K]

Because we are using variant that ends with -a:

jenta si

jenten sin

[olayasimioni]

So basically you're treating "jenta si" as a female noun with its possessive, and "jenten sin" as its male variant, is that right? Similar as when you choose between "ei jente" and "en jente".

[Deliciae]

Yes, that's correct.

[danoconnell55]

Wait I thought "Mannen elsker jenta hans" meant he loves another man's girl? Or is this only the case if mannen was replaced with hans?

[Delphinine]

Your first theory was right; see Deliciae's reply to Regan187. :)

[Julius_Nebula]

Would "The man loves his daughter" translate as something else, or would 'jenta' mean 'daughter' in this context?

[Ravnin]

'Jenta' could mean daughter in this context for sure, but if you wanted to be sure then:

"The man loves his daughter" in Norwegian would be: 'mannen elsker sin datter' or 'mannen elsker datteren sin'.

[Julius_Nebula]

Thanks! :)

[Agy_K]

What about the word "ham" as an alternative to "hans"?

[Deliciae]

I suspect you know by now, but "ham" is strictly an object pronoun, and cannot be used as a possessive.

[Adam744584]

Could you use "til" here? E.g., something like "Jenta til si"?

[Regan187]

So it accepted hans instead of si. If i said this to a native would they understand what I was saying? Or should I say si?

[Deliciae]

It depends on what you want the sentence to mean; "si" points the ownership back to the subject ("mannen"), while "hans" would refer to another man's girlfriend/wife/daughter.

[Terri-O1]

Hmmm... I work only on the smart phone app. If I can borrow a laptop, how do I find the site with notes & tips❓

[DaveV17]

You go to DuoLingo.com and sign in. Each skill with a lesson will have a lightbulb icon I believe when you click on it. You can also access the notes if you do the same thing on a smartphone through the Firefox browser and choose 'request browser site's in browser options

[LszlAttila12]

Why is not good: Mannen elsker hans jenta.

[Pallavi.Baruah]

si is her or his? and why do we say "jenta si", is it because si is used for her (feminine)