Breakdown of Vennligst vis Deres pass; vi kontakter Dem i morgen.
Questions & Answers about Vennligst vis Deres pass; vi kontakter Dem i morgen.
Why are Deres and Dem capitalized here? Are they still used?
They are the old formal/polite second‑person pronouns in Norwegian Bokmål:
- De (subject), Dem (object), Deres (possessive).
- They’re capitalized to distinguish them from de/dem/deres = they/them/their.
- Today, this style is rare and feels old‑fashioned. Most contexts use:
- singular informal: du/deg/din/ditt/dine
- plural: dere/deres
Modern equivalent: Vennligst vis passet ditt; vi kontakter deg i morgen. Note: Lowercase changes the meaning: vi kontakter dem = “we will contact them.”
How would I say the same thing in natural, modern Norwegian?
A few idiomatic options:
- Instructional tone (e.g., sign): Vennligst vis passet ditt. Vi kontakter deg i morgen.
- More conversational request: Kan du vise passet ditt? Vi tar kontakt i morgen.
- With an explicit future auxiliary: Vi skal kontakte deg i morgen.
If speaking to several people: Vennligst vis passene deres. Vi kontakter dere i morgen.
What’s the difference between Deres pass and passet Deres?
It’s possessive placement:
- Preposed possessive (before the noun): no definite suffix on the noun → Deres pass, ditt pass.
- Postposed possessive (after the noun): the noun takes the definite suffix → passet Deres, passet ditt.
Both are correct. Preposed often feels a bit more formal/contrastive; postposed is very common in everyday speech. The same pattern holds in the plural: dine pass vs passene dine.
Why is it vis and not vise?
Vis is the imperative of the verb å vise (to show). Norwegian imperatives usually use the bare stem: vis! (show!), kom! (come!), vent! (wait!). So Vennligst vis … = “Please show …”.
Similarly, the imperative of å kontakte is kontakt: Kontakt oss i morgen.
Why does vi kontakter Dem i morgen mean “we will contact you tomorrow” when kontakter is present tense?
Norwegian often uses the present tense for future events when there’s a time expression: i morgen, snart, om en time, etc.
You can also use future constructions:
- Plan/intention: Vi skal kontakte deg i morgen.
- Prediction (less common here): Vi kommer til å kontakte deg i morgen.
The simple present with a time adverbial is very normal and neutral.
Is Vennligst a polite way to say “please,” or can it sound stiff?
Vennligst is common in signs, forms, and instructions. In direct conversation it can sound curt. Softer options:
- Vær så snill og vis passet. (followed by an imperative)
- Vær så snill å vise passet. (followed by an infinitive)
- Kan du/dere vise passet (ditt/deres)? (very common and polite)
Note the pattern: og + imperative vs å + infinitive after Vær så snill.
Is the semicolon appropriate here?
Yes. Norwegian uses semicolons like English does: to link two closely related independent clauses. A period is equally fine:
- Vennligst vis …; vi kontakter …
- Vennligst vis …. Vi kontakter …
A comma alone between two main clauses is not standard. After a semicolon, you do not capitalize vi.
Why i morgen and not one word? Do I capitalize it?
What are the forms and gender of pass?
Pass is neuter:
- singular indefinite: et/ett pass
- singular definite: passet
- plural indefinite: pass
- plural definite: passene
Possessives:
- singular your: ditt pass / passet ditt
- plural your: deres pass / passene deres
In practice, instructions often say vis legitimasjon or vis ID as well as vis pass.
How do I pronounce the key words?
Approximate guide (nationwide-friendly):
- Vennligst: VENN-list (the g is often silent; clear final -st)
- vis: vees (long i)
- Deres: DEH-res (long e in the first syllable)
- pass / passet: pahs / PAH-set (short a)
- vi: vee
- kontakter: kon-TAHK-ter (stress on -tak-)
- Dem: dem (as English “them” without th)
- i morgen: ee MOR-ren (the g can be soft or silent depending on dialect)
Is the sentence addressing one person or several?
Here it’s one person, addressed with the formal singular Deres/Dem.
For several people, use plural dere/deres:
- Vennligst vis passene deres; vi kontakter dere i morgen.
Should I add fram/frem after vis?
You can. Å vise (fram/frem) means “to show/present.” Both spellings are accepted in Bokmål:
- Vennligst vis fram/frem passet. This is common on signs and at checkpoints. The sentence is also fine without it.
What happens if I start with I morgen? Any word order rules?
Norwegian main clauses follow the V2 rule (the finite verb is in second position). If you front I morgen, the verb still comes second:
- I morgen kontakter vi deg. (correct) Not: I morgen vi kontakter deg.
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