Demonstrative pronouns 'denne/dette/disse' and 'den/det/de' in Norwegian.
I can use demonstratives to point to near and far objects.
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Denne boken er spennende.
This book is exciting.
Dette huset er nytt, men det huset er gammelt.
This house is new, but that house is old.
Disse skoene er billige.
These shoes are cheap.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Norwegian has two sets of demonstratives: near and far.
| Gender | Near (this/these) | Far (that/those) |
|---|---|---|
| m./f. (en-words) | denne | den |
| neuter (et-words) | dette | det |
| plural | disse | de |
The noun that follows is in indefinite form.
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Practice Exercises🇬🇧 Gender distinction is new: ❌ dette bil → ✅ denne bilen (en-word). Use indefinite noun after demonstrative.
Using wrong demonstrative for the noun's gender
denne=en-words, dette=et-words, disse=plural
Using definite noun after demonstrative
Noun after demonstrative is in indefinite form: denne bilen (not denne bil or denne bilen + det)
Denne boken er spennende.
This book is exciting.
denne = this (for masculine/feminine en-words)
Dette huset er nytt, men det huset er gammelt.
This house is new, but that house is old.
dette = this (neuter), det = that (neuter)
Disse skoene er billige.
These shoes are cheap.
disse = these (plural for all genders)
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises