De, dem or dom?
Do you find it difficult to know when to use the personal pronouns “de” and “dem”? And what is up with “dom”?
Let’s start with “dom”. Both ”de” and ”dem” are pronounced “dom” so when speaking you never have to think about which form that is the correct one. In writing, however, you should avoid using “dom” unless you are writing in an informal register.
“De” is the subject form of the pronoun and “dem” is the object form. Compare:
Subject form Objekt form
Jag / I Mig / Me
Du / You Dig / You
Vi / We Oss / Us
De / They Dem / Them
Use “de” when it is the subject in the sentence and “dem” when it is the object. Example:
De går i parken.
Hon talar med dem.
Note: ”De” (still often pronounced ”dom”) is also a definite article for plurals. In this case “de” is the only possible form. Example: De nya skorna är för stora.
Do you still think it is difficult? Here are some tips and tricks.
01
De = they, dem = them
Use English to figure out whether to use "de" or "dem". "De" means "they" and "dem" means "them" so if "they" sounds correct you should use "de" and if "them" sounds correct you should use "dem". If neither "they" nor "them" sounds correct use "de".
02
De = vi, dem = oss
Use other pronuns in the subject or object form to figure out whether to use "de" or "dem". "De" and "vi" are both the subject form of the pronoun so if "vi" sounds correct you should use "de". "Dem" and "oss" are both the object form of the pronoun so if "oss" sounds correct you should use "dem". If neither "vi" nor "oss" sounds correct use "de".
