Det ser ut til at vi rekker bussen i dag.

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Breakdown of Det ser ut til at vi rekker bussen i dag.

• i dag: today
• det: it
• at: that

Questions & Answers about Det ser ut til at vi rekker bussen i dag.

What does Det ser ut til at mean in this sentence?

It means It looks like or It seems that.

So:

• Det ser ut til at vi rekker bussen i dag
• = It looks like we’ll catch the bus today

Literally, det ser ut til is something like it looks out to / toward, but you should learn it as a fixed expression meaning:

• it seems
• it appears
• it looks like

The at introduces the following clause: that we catch / will catch the bus today.

Why is there a det at the beginning? What does it refer to?

Here, det does not refer to a specific thing. It is a dummy subject or formal subject, similar to English it in sentences like:

• It seems that...
• It is raining
• It looks like...

In Norwegian, this kind of det is very common. So in Det ser ut til at..., the det is required because Norwegian normally wants a subject in that position.

Is ser ut til one unit, or should I understand each word separately?