Breakdown of Deres bror forstår ikke problemet.
forstå
to understand
ikke
not
broren
the brother
deres
their / theirs
problemet
the problem
Questions & Answers about Deres bror forstår ikke problemet.
Does Deres change its spelling depending on the word that comes after it, like min and mit do?
No. Unlike words such as min and mit (my), the word deres (their) never changes form. It is always exactly deres whether it is placed before an en-word, an et-word, or a plural word.
Can Deres mean something other than "their"?
Yes! When capitalized, Deres is the formal word for "your" (used to be polite to strangers or authorities). Since it is at the beginning of this sentence, it gets a capital letter automatically, meaning it could technically translate to "Your brother". However, "their" is much more common.
Why is it forstår ikke instead of translating "does not understand"?
Danish does not use helper words like "does" or "do" to make a negative sentence. You simply say "understands not" (forstår ikke). The verb forstår comes directly after the subject Deres bror, and the negative word ikke follows immediately after.
Why does problemet end with -et?
In Danish, you say "the" by attaching an ending directly to the noun. Because the word problem is an et-word (neuter gender), you add -et to the end to make it problemet (the problem).
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