Questions & Answers about Vi har ikke bestemt oss ennå.
Why is oss in the sentence? Why is it reflexive?
Because the verb is bestemme seg (to decide, literally “decide oneself”). In Norwegian you must use the matching reflexive pronoun with this verb:
- jeg bestemmer meg
- du bestemmer deg
- han/hun/den/det/man bestemmer seg
- vi bestemmer oss
- dere bestemmer dere
- de bestemmer seg Without the reflexive, bestemme normally takes a direct object: Komiteen bestemte budsjettet (The committee decided the budget).
Can I say Vi har ikke bestemt ennå?
No, not for this meaning. With bestemme seg, you need the reflexive pronoun. Correct is Vi har ikke bestemt oss ennå. If you remove oss, you must give the verb a direct object: Vi har ikke bestemt tidspunktet ennå (We haven’t decided the time yet).
Why is ikke after har?
Norwegian main clauses are V2 (the finite verb is in second position). Har is the finite verb, so ikke comes after it: Vi har ikke .... If you front something, the verb still stays second:
- I dag har vi ikke bestemt oss ennå. In yes/no questions the verb comes first:
- Har vi ikke bestemt oss ennå?