Jeg hører deg når du hvisker.

I

Breakdown of Jeg hører deg når du hvisker.

• du: you
• deg: you
• når: when

Questions & Answers about Jeg hører deg når du hvisker.

Why is deg used in Jeg hører deg instead of du?

In Norwegian, deg is the object form of the pronoun du. Since you “hear” someone (they are the object of the verb), you use deg. Du is only for subjects (e.g. Du hører meg – “You hear me”).

Why doesn’t høre need a preposition in Jeg hører deg, whereas in English we say “listen to you”?

Norwegian has two related verbs:

• høre + direct object = to hear (physically perceive sound)
• høre på / lytte til + object = to listen (pay attention)
  So Jeg hører deg means “I hear you,” while Jeg hører på deg or Jeg lytter til deg means “I’m listening to you.”

Why do we use når here instead of da?

når introduces clauses about general, present or future times, or repeated events.
da is used only for single past events.
Since this sentence describes hearing (present) whenever someone whispers, når is correct.

Could we use mens instead of når in Jeg hører deg mens du hvisker?

Yes, but with a subtle nuance:

• når is neutral or covers repeated actions (“whenever you whisper”).
• mens stresses that two actions happen simultaneously right now.
  Both are grammatically fine here.