De, dem or dom?
Do you find it difficult to know when to write de, dem or dom? You are certainly not alone. Let’s take it step by step.
Let’s start with dom
Both de and dem are pronounced dom. When speaking, you therefore do not need to think about which written form is correct.
In informal writing, such as chats and personal messages, you can also write dom. In more formal writing, however, de and dem are usually kept separate.
What is the difference between de and dem?
De is the subject form. This means that de performs the action.
Dem is the object form. This means that something happens to dem, or that the action is directed towards dem.
Compare:
Subject form Objekt form
jag / I mig / me
du / you dig / you
vi / we oss / us
de / they dem / them
Use de when the word is the subject:
De går i parken. (They are walking in the park.)
Use dem when the word is the object:
Hon pratar med dem. (She is talking to them.)
When de comes before a noun
De can also come before a plural noun:
-
De nya skorna är för stora. (The new shoes are too big.)
-
Hon tar på sig de nya skorna. (She puts on the new shoes.)
Here, de is not a pronoun. It forms part of the definite noun phrase and corresponds to English the. In this case, de is always correct. You cannot write "dem nya skorna".
Still unsure? Here are two simple tricks.
01
Replace it with they or them
You can use English to work out whether to write de or dem.
-
De = they
-
Dem = them
Translate the sentence into English.
If they fits, write de:
-
De kommer snart. (They are coming soon.)
If them fits, write dem:
-
Jag såg dem. (I saw them.)
If neither they nor them fits, you should usually write de. In these cases, de does not mean they or them, but corresponds to the:
-
De tjocka böckerna. (The thick books.)
-
De gröna träden. (The green trees.)
02
Replace it with vi or oss
You can also try replacing the word with vi or oss.
Both de and vi are subject forms. If vi fits, write de:
-
De arbetar här. (They work here.)
-
Vi arbetar här. (We work here.)
Both dem and oss are object forms. If oss fits, write dem:
-
Hon ringde dem. (She phoned them.)
-
Hon ringde oss. (She phoned us.)
If neither vi nor oss fits, you should usually write de:
-
De gamla böckerna står på hyllan. (The old books are on the shelf.)
Remember
De does something.
Something happens to dem.
Dom is fine in informal writing.
