Ikke døm ham.

Because this is a negative command: Ikke døm ham = Don’t judge him.

In Norwegian, a negative imperative is often made with:

• Ikke
  • imperative verb

So:

• Døm ham = Judge him
• Ikke døm ham = Don’t judge him

This is slightly different from English, which uses don’t + verb.

Døm is the imperative form of the verb å dømme (to judge).

Some common forms are:

• å dømme = to judge
• dømmer = judge / is judging
• dømte = judged
• har dømt = have/has judged
• døm! = judge!

So in Ikke døm ham, døm is the command form.

Because ham is the object form of the pronoun, while han is the subject form.

Compare:

• Han dømmer = He judges
• Ikke døm ham = Don’t judge him

This is like English he vs him.

However, in modern spoken Norwegian, many people use han instead of ham in object position too. So you may hear:

• Ikke døm han

But in more traditional written Bokmål, ham is fully correct and very common in this kind of example.

Yes, it is completely natural.

It is a short, direct command, and it sounds normal in contexts like:

• advice
• warnings
• moral statements
• emotional speech

It can sound a little serious or strong, just like Don’t judge him does in English.

Grammatically, yes, but it is less common and often sounds more formal, literary, or marked.

For everyday Norwegian, Ikke døm ham is the normal choice.

So as a learner, the safest version to use is:

• Ikke døm ham

The tricky part is the vowel ø, which does not exist in standard English.

A rough guide:

• døm sounds approximately like durn without the r, but that is only a rough hint
• the ø is a rounded front vowel

Also:

• d is a normal d
• m is a normal m

If you already know some Norwegian words, the vowel is the same type of sound as in:

• søt
• høre
• rød

The exact pronunciation can vary slightly by dialect.

Because in Norwegian, the imperative usually does not include the subject.

So instead of saying:

• Du, ikke døm ham

you normally just say:

• Ikke døm ham

This is the same basic idea as in English commands:

• Sit down
• Don’t move
• Don’t judge him

The subject you is understood.

Å dømme can mean several related things, depending on context:

• to judge someone morally
• to sentence someone in court
• to assess / evaluate

In Ikke døm ham, the most likely meaning is the moral one:

• Don’t judge him
• Don’t be judgmental about him
• Don’t condemn him

So the sentence is probably not about a legal court unless the context makes that clear.

This sentence is Bokmål.

In Nynorsk, you would typically say:

• Ikkje døm han

Key difference:

• ikke = Bokmål
• ikkje = Nynorsk

Also, Nynorsk often prefers han rather than ham.

Yes. Ham is just the object pronoun, so you can replace it with another object.

Examples:

• Ikke døm Maria = Don’t judge Maria
• Ikke døm læreren = Don’t judge the teacher
• Ikke døm folk = Don’t judge people

The structure stays the same:

• Ikke
  • imperative verb + object

It is neutral in grammar, but the tone depends on context.

• In everyday speech, it can sound direct and emotional.
• In writing, it can sound serious, moral, or reflective.
• It is not especially formal, but it is strong because commands often are.

So the grammar itself is not formal; the force comes from the fact that it is a command.

In normal speech, the main stress is often on the verb or the object, depending on what you want to emphasize:

• Ikke døm ham = focus on the action of judging
• Ikke døm ham = focus on him, not someone else

Ikke is usually less stressed unless you are strongly emphasizing the negation.

So a natural reading often gives more weight to døm or ham than to ikke.