Learn Danish: Manden læser avisen. - The man reads the newspaper.

The base dictionary form (infinitive) of the verb is læse (to read). In Danish, you form the present tense of regular verbs simply by adding an -r to the end. Because Danish verbs don't change based on who is doing the action (I, you, he, they), læser is the only present tense form you need to know for this verb!

Does læser mean "reads" or "is reading"?

It means both! Danish doesn't have a separate continuous "-ing" form to show that an action is happening right now. Therefore, Manden læser translates to both "The man reads" (as a habit) and "The man is reading" (at this exact moment).

Is the word order in this sentence exactly like English?

Yes, this sentence uses a straightforward Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) word order, just like a basic English statement. Manden (the subject) comes first, followed by the action verb læser, and then the object receiving the action, avisen.

I see -en on the end of both manden and avisen. Is that how you say "the"?

Exactly! Instead of putting a separate word for "the" in front of the noun, Danish usually attaches it to the end of the word as a suffix. Because both mand (man) and avis (newspaper) are "en-words" (common gender nouns), they take the suffix -en to become manden (the man) and avisen (the newspaper).