disse

Disse is a demonstrative determiner and pronoun used in Danish and Norwegian to mean "these." It accompanies plural nouns or can stand alone as a pronoun, referring to multiple items that are near in space, time, or context relative to the speaker. In Danish, it is commonly seen as disse bøger (these books) or disse er mine (these are mine). In Norwegian Bokmål, similar usage applies: disse bøkene (these books) or disse er mine.

Usage and grammar development typically position disse as the plural form of the demonstratives that include this and those. It contrasts with singular forms such as dette/denne in Danish and Norwegian, which correspond to "this." The word may function within noun phrases or serve as a predicative pronoun when the noun is omitted or understood from context.

Etymology and cognates suggest disse shares roots with other Germanic languages. It is closely related to the English word these and the German dieses, both derived from Proto-Germanic demonstratives. Cross-language variation exists: Norwegian nynorsk often uses desse in certain dialects, while Danish consistently uses disse; Swedish uses Dessa for "these." The distinction among these forms reflects historical developments in the Scandinavian languages and their alignment with gendered and plural noun phrases.

Related terms include the singular forms dette and denne (Danish) or dette/denne (Norwegian), and the corresponding Swedish forms dessa and dessa/denne. Disse is a common, everyday element of Scandinavian demonstratives and a key part of referencing multiple items in near proximity.