Word
Dette er lovlig.
Meaning
This is legal.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Norwegian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Dette er lovlig.
What does each word in Dette er lovlig do?
- Dette = this
- er = is
- lovlig = legal / lawful
So grammatically, the sentence is:
- subject: Dette
- verb: er
- subject complement / adjective: lovlig
It is a very basic Norwegian sentence pattern: subject + verb + adjective.
Why is it dette and not det?
Dette is a demonstrative, meaning this.
Det usually means it or that, and it is also often used as a dummy subject in sentences like Det er kaldt (It is cold).
So:
- Dette er lovlig = This is legal
- Det er lovlig = It is legal / sometimes That is legal, depending on context
If you are pointing to a specific thing, action, rule, or situation and want to say this, dette is the natural choice.
Why is it dette and not denne?