Questions & Answers about Det passer perfekt.
Det can be understood as either “it” or “that”, depending on context.
- Often, det is a dummy subject:
- Someone proposes a time: Vi møtes klokka sju. – “We’ll meet at seven.”
- You answer: Det passer perfekt. – “That/It works perfectly.”
- It can also refer back to a whole situation or previous sentence, not to a specific noun with gender.
So you don’t usually worry about grammatical gender here; you just use det as the neutral pronoun for “it/that” or as a dummy subject.
Passer is the present tense of the verb å passe.
- Infinitive: å passe – “to fit / to suit / to be convenient”
- Present: passer – “fits / suits / is convenient”
Simple conjugation:
- å passe – to fit
- jeg passer – I fit
- det passer – it fits
- det passet – it fit / it suited (past)
- det skal passe – it will fit
In Det passer perfekt, you’re saying “It fits/suits perfectly (now / in general).”
Both are possible; context decides.
Å passe can mean:
- To fit (size/shape)
- Skoene passer perfekt. – “The shoes fit perfectly.”
- To suit or be convenient (plans, times, situations)
- Onsdag passer perfekt. – “Wednesday works perfectly / is perfect for me.”
In Det passer perfekt, without more context, it most commonly means “That works perfectly” (for a plan/time), but it could also be “That fits perfectly” (for size) if you’re talking about clothes, furniture, etc.
Yes, but the meaning shifts slightly.
- Det passer perfekt.
- Very general; refers to a situation, time, arrangement, suggestion.
- Common as a neutral response: “That works perfectly.”
- Den passer perfekt.
- Den refers to a specific masculine or feminine noun already mentioned:
- Kjolen passer perfekt. Den passer perfekt. – “The dress fits perfectly. It fits perfectly.”
- Stolen passer perfekt. Den passer perfekt. – “The chair fits perfectly. It fits perfectly.”
- Den refers to a specific masculine or feminine noun already mentioned:
If you are reacting to a proposal or situation, use det.
If you’re talking about a specific thing with masculine/feminine gender, den is more natural.
Norwegian uses a fairly strict Subject–Verb–Other order in simple statements.
- Subject: Det
- Verb: passer
- Adverb (or adverb-like word): perfekt
So the normal order is: > Det (subject) passer (verb) perfekt (adverb).
Det perfekt passer is ungrammatical in standard Norwegian.
Adverbs like perfekt, bra, dårlig, ofte normally come after the main verb in such short sentences.
In Det passer perfekt, perfekt functions as an adverb, describing how it fits/suits: “fits perfectly”.
- As an adjective:
- en perfekt plan – a perfect plan (masc/fem)
- et perfekt hus – a perfect house (neuter)
- perfekte planer – perfect plans (plural)
- As an adverb:
- Det passer perfekt. – It fits/suits perfectly.
- Det fungerte perfekt. – It worked perfectly.
Many Norwegian adjectives can be used in their base form as adverbs, and perfekt is one of them.
No extra ending is needed here because it’s used as an adverb, and adverbs derived from adjectives usually don’t change form.
- As adjectives, you do see changes:
- en perfekt dag (masc/fem)
- et perfekt forslag (neuter)
- de perfekte dagene (plural/definite)
- As adverbs:
- Det passer perfekt.
- Alt gikk perfekt.
So in this sentence, perfekt stays in its base form, with no extra ending.
Yes, in informal, spoken Norwegian you often hear:
- Passer perfekt!
- Passer bra!
This is a shortened form of Det passer perfekt. It’s natural as a quick reaction in conversation, messages, or emails.
However:
- In full sentences or more formal writing, you normally keep det:
- Det passer perfekt for meg.
- Det passer perfekt på mandag.
You just change the verb passe to the right tense:
- Present:
- Det passer perfekt. – It fits / It suits perfectly.
- Past:
- Det passet perfekt. – It fit / It suited perfectly.
- Future:
- Det vil passe perfekt. – It will fit / It will suit perfectly.
- Det skal passe perfekt. – It shall/will fit perfectly (slightly more planned/intentional).
The rest of the sentence (perfekt) stays the same.
Approximate pronunciation in standard Eastern Norwegian:
- passer ≈ [PAH-ser]
- pa- like “pa” in “pasta”
- -ss- is a strong /s/ sound
- -er is a weak, almost like English “-uh” or “-er” in “talker”, but shorter.
The r is:
- Usually a tapped/flapped r (a quick tap, not like English “r”).
- Not very strong in casual speech: many people say something like “PAS-seh(r)”, with a light or almost disappearing final r.
Regional accents vary, but this is a good neutral model.
Yes, the stress is similar:
- perfekt ≈ [per-FEKT]
- Primary stress on the second syllable: -fekt
- per- like “pehr” (with a short e)
- -fekt like in English “perfect” (the second syllable), but with a clear t at the end.
So you get:
- Det passer perfekt. ≈ [deh PAH-ser per-FEKT]
It’s neutral and can be used in both spoken and written Norwegian, in most situations:
- To a friend:
- Kan vi møtes klokka seks?
- Ja, det passer perfekt.
- In a work email:
- Onsdag kl. 10 passer perfekt.
If you want to sound slightly more polite or explicit, you might add for meg (“for me”):
- Det passer perfekt for meg. – “That works perfectly for me.”
But Det passer perfekt alone is already perfectly acceptable and polite in normal contexts.
Common alternatives include:
- Det passer bra. – That works well.
- Det passer veldig bra. – That works very well.
- Det passer helt perfekt. – That works absolutely perfectly.
- Det passer utmerket. – That suits/excellent (a bit more formal/elevated).
- Det funker perfekt. – That works perfectly (more informal/colloquial).
All of these can be used in similar contexts when reacting to a suggestion, plan, or arrangement.