Questions & Answers about Det høres ut som en god idé.
Why do we need det at the beginning? Could we just say Høres ut som en god idé?
You need det because Norwegian normally requires a subject in finite clauses, just like English does.
Here det is a dummy subject (like it in It sounds like a good idea).
Saying Høres ut som en god idé without det sounds incomplete or very non‑standard in normal speech.
What exactly does høres ut mean, and how is it different from just høres?
The verb høre means to hear, and høres is its passive/mediopassive form, which often translates as sounds.
- Det høres ut literally: It is heard out / It sounds out, but idiomatically just It sounds.
- In practice, Det høres ut som … = It sounds like …
You can say Det høres bra ut (It sounds good) without som, but when you compare with a noun phrase (like a good idea), you normally use høres ut som.
Why do we use som here, and what does it do?