Dette er viktig for samfunnet.

to be

Breakdown of Dette er viktig for samfunnet.

• viktig: important
• dette: this
• for: for

Questions & Answers about Dette er viktig for samfunnet.

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

Dette means this.

It is a demonstrative pronoun, used to point to something specific, such as an idea, situation, or object.

Compare:

• Dette er viktig. = This is important.
• Det er viktig. = It is important / sometimes That is important, depending on context

A simple way to think about it:

• dette = this
• det = often it or that

In everyday speech, Norwegian can also use det her for this, but dette is very common in writing and careful speech.

Why is the verb er used?

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

So:

• å være = to be
• er = am / is / are

In this sentence, Dette er viktig for samfunnet, er simply means is.

Why is the word order Dette er viktig? Is it the same as English?