Questions & Answers about Kan De låse opp bilen? Vesken min ligger i den.
Why is the word De capitalized here?
Because De is the formal singular pronoun for you in Norwegian, and it is traditionally capitalized to distinguish it from de meaning they. So De = formal you, de = they.
Do Norwegians actually use De in everyday speech?
Rarely. Modern Norwegian overwhelmingly uses du (informal you), even with strangers. De sounds old-fashioned or overly formal, and is mostly seen in very formal writing, official letters, or when addressing much older people in highly polite contexts.
If I want to be polite without sounding old-fashioned, what should I say?
Use du and soften with modal verbs or polite phrases:
- Kan du låse opp bilen? (normal polite)
- Kunne du låse opp bilen? (softer/more polite)
- You can add vær så snill (please), but use it sparingly so it doesn’t sound pleading.
What are the forms of the formal pronoun?
- Subject: De (Can De…)
- Object: Dem (Jeg hjelper Dem.)
- Possessive: Deres (Er dette Deres bil?) Again, these are rarely used in speech today.