De sitter rundt bålet.

they

Breakdown of De sitter rundt bålet.

• sitte: to sit
• rundt: around
• bålet: the bonfire

Questions & Answers about De sitter rundt bålet.

Why is De capitalized here?

Because it is the first word in the sentence. In normal writing, de means they.

A small extra note: De with a capital D can also mean formal you in very old-fashioned or very formal writing, but that is uncommon in modern Norwegian. In this sentence, it will normally be understood as they.

What form is sitter?

Sitter is the present tense of å sitte (to sit).

Norwegian verbs do not change for person:

• jeg sitter = I sit / I am sitting
• du sitter = you sit / you are sitting
• de sitter = they sit / they are sitting

So the same present-tense form is used with all subjects.

Why does Norwegian use sitter instead of just a verb meaning are?

Norwegian often uses position verbs very naturally:

• sitte = sit
• stå = stand
• ligge = lie

So instead of a more general English-style expression, Norwegian often tells you the person’s physical position. De sitter rundt bålet specifically tells you that they are sitting around the fire, not just that they are there.

Does sitter mean sit or are sitting?