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Questions & Answers about Du er Tom.
Why does the sentence use Du instead of Deg?
In Norwegian, Du is the subject pronoun (meaning you in English when you are talking directly to someone), and Deg is the object pronoun (meaning you when something is done to you). Since you are identifying someone’s name, you need to use the subject form Du.
Is er the same as are in English?
Yes. Norwegian er corresponds to English am, are, and is, depending on the context in English. In this sentence, it translates to are because Du er Tom = You are Tom.
Why is Tom used here?
Tom is a name, just like in English. Norwegian can use any name exactly as it’s spelled and pronounced in its original language. In this sentence, you’re simply telling someone their name: You are Tom.
How do you pronounce Du er Tom?
• Du is pronounced somewhat like doo, but a little shorter.
• er sounds similar to a quick air without too much emphasis on the r.
• Tom is pronounced similarly to the English Tom, though the o might be slightly shorter.
Does Norwegian change the word order, like English sometimes does (e.g., Are you Tom?)?
Yes, Norwegian also changes the word order in questions. To ask Are you Tom?, you would say Er du Tom?. Notice how er (the verb) moves before du (the subject).