De utgjør halve gruppen.

they

Breakdown of De utgjør halve gruppen.

• gruppen: the group
• halv: half
• utgjøre: to make up; constitute

Questions & Answers about De utgjør halve gruppen.

Does De mean they here, or could it mean you?

Here it means they.

Norwegian de can mean:

• they in modern everyday language
• you as a formal/polite form in older or very formal style

Because the meaning has already been given to the learner, this sentence is understood as they make up half the group.

A useful note: since De is at the beginning of the sentence, it is capitalized anyway. So the capital D does not by itself tell you whether it means they or formal you here.

What does utgjør mean exactly?

Utgjør means constitutes, makes up, or accounts for.

So De utgjør halve gruppen literally means something like:

• They constitute half the group
• They make up half the group

This verb is often used when talking about proportions, totals, or what something forms as part of a whole.

Examples:

• Kvinner utgjør 60 prosent av klassen.
  Women make up 60 percent of the class.

• Denne summen utgjør hele budsjettet.
  This amount makes up the entire budget.

Why is it utgjør and not some other form?