De ser skipet fra stranden.

to see

Breakdown of De ser skipet fra stranden.

• fra: from
• de: they
• stranden: the beach

Questions & Answers about De ser skipet fra stranden.

What does De mean here? Is it they or a formal you?

At the start of a sentence, De can be a little ambiguous in writing.

• In modern Norwegian, de usually means they.
• De with a capital D can also be a very formal, old-fashioned way of saying you.

Because this word is at the beginning of the sentence, it is capitalized anyway, so you need context to be 100% sure. In most ordinary modern contexts, learners should read it as they.

Why is ser used? What tense is it?

Ser is the present tense of å se (to see).

So:

• å se = to see
• ser = see / sees / are seeing

Norwegian verbs do not change for person the way English verbs do. The same form is used with all subjects:

• jeg ser = I see
• du ser = you see
• de ser = they see

Why is it ser skipet and not ser på skipet?

Both are possible, but they mean slightly different things.

• ser skipet = see the ship
  This means they perceive it; it is visible to them.
• ser på skipet = look at / watch the ship
  This suggests more deliberate attention.

So in your sentence, De ser skipet fra stranden most naturally means they can see the ship from the beach.