Questions & Answers about Gjør det sånn.
This sentence is in the imperative, so the subject is normally left out in Norwegian, just like in English.
- Gjør det sånn. = Do it like this / Do it that way.
The hidden subject is you, but Norwegian usually does not say it in commands.
Gjør is the imperative form of å gjøre, which means to do or to make.
A useful mini-pattern is:
- å gjøre = to do
- gjør = do / does
- gjør! = do!
So in this sentence, gjør means do!
A detail that often confuses learners: the imperative and the present tense look the same here:
- Han gjør det. = He does it.
- Gjør det! = Do it!
The context tells you which one it is.
Det means it here, and it refers to the thing or action being done.
So the structure is basically:
- gjør = do
- det = it
- sånn = like this / that way
Norwegian often keeps this object explicit, just as English does in Do it like this.
If the context is very clear, you can sometimes hear Gjør sånn, especially if someone is showing the action physically, but Gjør det sånn sounds more complete.