Norwegian word choices
Her/hit and der/dit in Norwegian: Examples and Practice
Her and der describe where something happens. Hit and dit describe a destination. Practise choosing here or there for six situations.
The short answer
Her and der: where something is or happens. Jeg er her. Hun er der. (I am here. She is there.)
Hit and dit: where someone or something is going. Hun kommer hit. Jeg drar dit. (She is coming here. I am going there.)
The distinction is location versus destination, not moving versus standing still. Vi løper her means we run here, in this place. Vi løper hit means we run to this place.
You will also hear expressions such as Kom her! (Come here!). The exercises make the intended location or destination explicit so you can practise the basic contrast.
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Six examples with answers
Keep these examples for learning
Situations, answers and short explanations.
Prompt
You are waiting at the entrance and tell a friend your current location. Jeg venter ___ ved inngangen. Choose her, hit, der or dit.
Answer and explanation
Jeg venter her ved inngangen. I am waiting here at the entrance. Her identifies your location, where the waiting happens.
Prompt
Your friend is travelling to the place where you are. Practise the destination form for “here”. Når kommer du ___? Choose her, hit, der or dit.
Answer and explanation
Når kommer du hit? When are you coming here? Hit names a destination at the speaker’s location.
Prompt
You point across the street to the bench where your sister is sitting. Søsteren min sitter ___ på benken. Choose her, hit, der or dit.
Answer and explanation
Søsteren min sitter der på benken. My sister is sitting there on the bench. Der describes her location, away from where you are speaking.
Prompt
You are at home. You and a friend have chosen the library as your next destination. Biblioteket er åpent. Vi drar ___ etter lunsj. Choose her, hit, der or dit.
Answer and explanation
Biblioteket er åpent. Vi drar dit etter lunsj. The library is open. We are going there after lunch. Dit refers back to the library as the destination.
Prompt
You are in the park where your running group trains. Describe the location of the activity, not a journey to it. Vi løper ___ hver morgen. Choose her, hit, der or dit.
Answer and explanation
Vi løper her hver morgen. We run here every morning. Her says where the running happens. People can move within a location.
Prompt
You are at home and talk about the hall across town. Describe where the dancing happens. De danser ___ hver fredag. Choose her, hit, der or dit.
Answer and explanation
De danser der hver fredag. They dance there every Friday. Der identifies the location of the activity, not its destination.
Usage notes
Whose “here”? In these examples, her and hit refer to the speaker’s place. Der and dit refer to another place already identified or pointed out. The listener needs that context.
Ask where, or where to. Waiting, dancing or running can happen in a place: her or der. When you name the destination of a trip, use hit or dit. A verb describing movement does not settle the choice by itself.
Keep the pattern useful, not absolute. Bokmålsordboka includes kom her! under her. These examples teach a productive distinction, not a ban on every other expression you may hear.
References: NTNU LearnNoW: location and movement adverbs and Bokmålsordboka’s entries for her and hit.