Dette er ekte.

to be

Breakdown of Dette er ekte.

• dette: this
• ekte: genuine; real

Questions & Answers about Dette er ekte.

What does dette mean here, and how is it different from det?

Dette means this.

A very common contrast is:

• dette = this
• det = that / it

So:

• Dette er ekte. = This is real/authentic.
• Det er ekte. = That is real/authentic or sometimes It is real/authentic, depending on context.

In everyday speech, Norwegian often uses det in places where English would use it, while dette points more directly to something close or present in the situation.

Why is the verb er used?

Er is the present tense of å være, which means to be.

So the pattern is:

• å være = to be
• er = am/is/are

In this sentence:

• Dette = subject
• er = verb
• ekte = description

So the structure is exactly like English This is real.

What does ekte mean exactly?