Questions & Answers about Han er aktiv hver dag.
Why is it han and not ham?
Han is the subject form, like he in English. In Han er aktiv hver dag, han is the one doing or being something, so Norwegian uses han.
Ham is the object form, like him:
- Jeg ser ham = I see him
So:
- Han er aktiv = He is active
- Jeg kjenner ham = I know him
Why do we use er here?
Er is the present tense of å være, which means to be.
So:
- jeg er = I am
- du er = you are
- han er = he is
- vi er = we are
Unlike English, Norwegian does not change the present-tense form of to be for different persons. It is always er in the present.
Why is aktiv not changed here?
Aktiv is an adjective, and here it describes han.
In Norwegian, adjectives often change form depending on gender, number, and whether the noun is definite or indefinite. But after er with a singular masculine or feminine subject, the basic form is used:
- Han er aktiv
- Hun er aktiv
Compare:
- Det er aktivt = It is active
- De er aktive = They are active
So aktiv is correct because han is singular.