Questions & Answers about Hun er en pige.
Why do we use en before pige instead of et?
In Danish, nouns belong to one of two gender categories: common words and neuter words. The word pige is a common gender noun, which means it uses the article en (a/an). There is no strict rule for which words are which, but about 75% of Danish nouns use en!
The 'g' in pige sounds completely different from English. How do I pronounce it?
The 'g' in pige is what we call a soft 'g'. Instead of a hard English 'g' sound, it sounds much closer to an English 'y' or is almost swallowed completely. The whole word sounds somewhat like 'pee-eh'.
Does the verb er change depending on who we are talking about?
No, and this is a great thing about Danish verbs! The verb er means am, is, or are. It stays exactly the same regardless of the subject. So, jeg er (I am), hun er (she is), and de er (they are) all use the exact same word.
Do we always use en or et when saying what someone is?
Usually, yes, when identifying someone with a basic noun like pige (girl) or dreng (boy). But keep in mind for later: if you are talking about someone's profession or nationality, like 'She is a teacher', Danish usually drops the article entirely.