Why meg, deg, seg matter
In Norwegian, many verbs are used with a reflexive pronoun.
This means that the action goes back to the person who performs it.
English also has reflexive forms (myself, yourself, himself),
but Norwegian uses them more often — and more consistently.
Let’s go step by step.
⚠️ Important:
The pronoun seg is used for both singular and plural in the third person.
The meaning depends on who the subject is.
Reflexive verbs that are always reflexive
Some verbs need a reflexive pronoun to make sense.
Examples:
Jeg gleder meg.
→ I’m looking forward to it.
Hun skammer seg.
→ She is ashamed.
Vi skynder oss.
→ We hurry.
Without the reflexive pronoun, these sentences are incomplete or incorrect.
3rd person singular: seg = himself / herself
When the subject is one person, seg means himself / herself.
Examples:
Han setter seg ned.
→ He sits down.
Hun legger seg.
→ She goes to bed.
Han barberer seg hver morgen.
→ He shaves every morning.
Here, the action clearly goes back to one person.
3rd person plural: seg = themselves
When the subject is more than one person, seg means themselves.
Examples:
De setter seg ned.
→ They sit down.
De koser seg.
→ They are enjoying themselves.
Barna kler på seg.
→ The children get dressed.
Same word — seg — but the meaning changes with the subject.
Reflexive vs. non-reflexive meaning
Some verbs can be used with or without a reflexive pronoun —
and the meaning changes.
Examples:
Han vasker bilen.
→ He washes the car.
Han vasker seg.
→ He washes himself.
Hun legger barnet.
→ She puts the child to bed.
Hun legger seg.
→ She goes to bed.
Same verb.
Different meaning.
Reflexive verbs in daily routines
Reflexive verbs are very common when talking about everyday life.
Examples:
Jeg står opp og dusjer meg.
→ I get up and take a shower.
Hun sminker seg før hun går ut.
→ She puts on makeup before going out.
De gjør seg klare.
→ They get ready.
A very common learner mistake
Many learners forget the reflexive pronoun:
❌ Jeg gleder.
→ (incorrect)
Correct:
✅ Jeg gleder meg.
→ I’m looking forward to it.
In Norwegian, glede almost always needs a reflexive pronoun in everyday speech.
Summary
Reflexive verbs use meg, deg, seg, oss, dere
Seg is used for both:
3rd person singular → himself / herself
3rd person plural → themselves
Some verbs must be reflexive
Some verbs change meaning with or without a reflexive pronoun
English and Norwegian do not always match
Exercise
Choose the correct reflexive pronoun.
Han setter ___ ned.
Jeg gleder ___ til ferien.
Barna koser ___.
Hun legger ___ tidlig.
Vi skynder ___.
De vasker ___ før middag.
Du må huske ___ selv.
Han føler ___ sliten.
Dere må gjøre ___ klare.
Hun sminker ___ før festen.
Answer key
seg – Han setter seg ned.
meg – Jeg gleder meg til ferien.
seg – Barna koser seg.
seg – Hun legger seg tidlig.
oss – Vi skynder oss.
seg – De vasker seg før middag.
deg – Du må huske deg selv.
seg – Han føler seg sliten.
dere – Dere må gjøre dere klare.
seg – Hun sminker seg før festen.
Want more?
This — and much more — is explained step by step in my Norwegian verb book.
And if you like this article, please, restack, share, like and comment. Thank you for reading.
De er veldig like, og det er en stor fordel at du kan tysk.
Det tyske språket og norske språket er veldig like og det er derfor jeg lærer og førstår så raskt