Det er egoistisk.

In Det er egoistisk, det is a dummy subject or formal subject. Norwegian often uses det in general statements like English uses it in sentences such as It is selfish or It is important.

Here, det does not refer to a specific thing. It simply fills the subject position.

Compare:

• Det er vanskelig. = It is difficult.
• Det er sant. = It is true.

If you want to say that a specific person is selfish, you would usually name them instead:

• Han er egoistisk. = He is selfish.
• Hun er egoistisk. = She is selfish.

Er is the present tense of å være, which means to be.

So:

• å være = to be
• er = am / is / are depending on context

Examples:

• Jeg er trøtt. = I am tired.
• Han er snill. = He is kind.
• Det er egoistisk. = It is selfish.

Norwegian does not change the verb the way English does. The same form er is used with all subjects in the present tense.

This is a very common question. The adjective egoistisk already ends in -sk, and adjectives ending in -sk usually do not add an extra -t in the neuter singular.

Normally, many adjectives take -t with a neuter noun or in expressions like this:

• et stort hus = a big house
• Det er stort. = It is big.

But with many -sk adjectives, the form stays the same:

• en egoistisk person
• et egoistisk valg
• Det er egoistisk.

So egoistisk is the correct form.

Yes. Egoistisk is an adjective, and in this sentence it works as a predicate adjective. That means it comes after the verb er and describes the subject.

Structure:

• Det = subject
• er = verb
• egoistisk = adjective

This is similar to English:

• It is selfish
• That is strange
• He is kind

Yes. Very often det in a sentence like this refers to something understood from the context, especially an action, choice, or behavior.

For example:

• Å ta alt selv? Det er egoistisk. = To take everything for yourself? That is selfish.

In this kind of sentence, det can mean that, what you did, or the situation we are talking about.

So even though det can be a dummy subject, it can also point back to an idea or action.

No, not by itself.

Egoistisk is an adjective, so it usually either:

1. stands after er:
   • Det er egoistisk.

or

2. comes before a noun:
   • en egoistisk person
   • et egoistisk valg

If you say en, you need a noun after it. So:

• Det er en egoistisk person. = He/She/That is a selfish person.

But Det er en egoistisk is incomplete.

Det er egoistisk is a statement.

In a normal Norwegian main clause, the usual word order is:

subject + verb + rest

So:

• Det
  • er
    • egoistisk

If you switch it to Er det egoistisk?, it becomes a question:

• Er det egoistisk? = Is it selfish?

This is similar to English word order.

In natural speech, it is usually pronounced smoothly, with the stress often falling on -stisk in egoistisk.

A rough guide for an English speaker:

• Det sounds like deh or det
• er often sounds like a quick ær or e(r) depending on dialect
• egoistisk is roughly eh-go-is-tisk

The r in er can be weak in some dialects, and pronunciation varies across Norway. But the standard written form is always Det er egoistisk.

Yes, but usually only indirectly.

Det er egoistisk most naturally comments on an action, decision, or behavior, not directly on a person's identity.

For example:

• Å ikke dele er egoistisk.
• Det er egoistisk å bare tenke på seg selv.

If you want to describe a person directly, Norwegian often uses:

• Han er egoistisk.
• Hun er egoistisk.

So:

• Det er egoistisk = That/It is selfish
• Han/Hun er egoistisk = He/She is selfish

Yes, if you want to be more specific or emphatic.

Examples:

• Dette er egoistisk. = This is selfish.
• Det der er egoistisk. = That there is selfish.

These forms point more clearly to something specific.

Compare:

• Det er egoistisk. = more general, or context-dependent
• Dette er egoistisk. = this is selfish
• Det der er egoistisk. = that is selfish

It is neutral and completely normal in both speech and writing.

You could use it in everyday conversation, in an article, or in a discussion. The tone depends more on the context than on the grammar itself.

For example, it could sound:

• matter-of-fact
• critical
• reflective

depending on how and where you say it.

Yes, this is a very common pattern in Norwegian:

Det er + adjective

Examples:

• Det er fint. = It is nice.
• Det er rart. = It is strange.
• Det er viktig. = It is important.
• Det er umulig. = It is impossible.

So Det er egoistisk fits a very common and useful sentence pattern.