Ikke straff ham.

Straff is the imperative form of the verb å straffe (to punish).

So:

• å straffe = to punish
• straff! = punish!

In Ikke straff ham, the speaker is giving a command: Don’t punish him.

In Norwegian, negative commands are commonly made with:

• Ikke + imperative

So:

• Straff ham. = Punish him.
• Ikke straff ham. = Don’t punish him.

This is a very common and natural pattern in Norwegian.

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

Compare:

• Han kommer. = He is coming.
  (han = subject, like English he)

• Jeg ser ham. = I see him.
  (ham = object, like English him)

In Ikke straff ham, him is receiving the action, so Norwegian uses ham.

In many spoken varieties of Norwegian, people often use han where traditional grammar would expect ham.

So in speech, you may hear both:

• Ikke straff ham
• Ikke straff han

However, in more standard written Bokmål, ham is the traditional object form. Learners should recognize both, but ham is a good form to know in this sentence.

Because commands in Norwegian usually leave out the subject, just like in English.

Compare:

• English: Don’t punish him.
• Norwegian: Ikke straff ham.

The implied subject is you, but it is normally not said.

For a negative command, the usual order is:

• Ikke + imperative verb + object

So here:

• Ikke = not / don’t
• straff = punish
• ham = him

That gives:

• Ikke straff ham.

This order is standard and natural.

Yes, but it changes the emphasis.

• Ikke straff ham. = the normal way to say Don’t punish him
• Straff ikke ham. = more like Don’t punish him, possibly implying someone else instead

So the version with ikke first is the neutral negative command. Moving ikke later can make the sentence sound more contrastive or emphatic.

A rough guide is:

• ikke ≈ IK-keh
• straff ≈ strahf
• ham ≈ hahm

A few notes:

• ikke has two syllables.
• straff has a short vowel and a strong final ff sound.
• ham is pronounced with an a like father in many accents.

Exact pronunciation varies by dialect, but this will help you get close.

It is neutral. Norwegian imperatives can be used in many situations, depending on tone and context.

So Ikke straff ham could sound like:

• a direct instruction
• a warning
• a plea
• a dramatic statement

The grammar itself is not especially formal or informal.

In Nynorsk, you would often see:

• Ikkje straff han.

The main difference is:

• Bokmål: ikke
• Nynorsk: ikkje

Also, Nynorsk commonly uses han as the object form.

Yes, but usually for a different nuance.

Compare:

• Ikke straff ham. = ordinary Don’t punish him
• Straff ham ikke. = more marked, literary, or emphatic

In everyday Norwegian, especially for learners, Ikke + imperative is the safest and most natural pattern to use.

A very useful pattern is:

• Ikke + imperative + object

Examples:

• Ikke gå! = Don’t go!
• Ikke si det. = Don’t say that.
• Ikke rør den. = Don’t touch it.
• Ikke straff ham. = Don’t punish him.

If you remember this structure, you can make many negative commands in Norwegian.