Kom litt nærmere.

to come

Breakdown of Kom litt nærmere.

• litt: a little
• nærmere: closer

Questions & Answers about Kom litt nærmere.

Why is it kom and not komme?

Kom is the imperative form of the verb å komme (to come).

• Infinitive: å komme
• Present: kommer
• Past: kom
• Imperative (command): kom

In Norwegian, most imperatives are formed by taking the infinitive and dropping the final -e:

• å snakke → snakk (speak!)
• å leve → lev (live!)
• å komme → kom (come!)

So Kom litt nærmere literally uses the imperative: Come a little closer.

Where is the subject “you”? Why is there no pronoun?

Norwegian, like English, leaves out the subject “you” in imperative sentences.

• English: Come a little closer. (not You come a little closer.)
• Norwegian: Kom litt nærmere. (not Du kom litt nærmere.)

You can add du (you) for emphasis, but then it sounds more pointed:

• Du, kom litt nærmere. – You, come a little closer. (singling someone out)

Normally, you simply use the imperative without the subject.

What does litt add here? Is it necessary?