Questions & Answers about Vi lærer to nye sprog.
Why doesn't the word sprog have a plural ending here?
In Danish, many short, one-syllable neuter nouns (words that use et for 'a') do not change their form in the plural. Since 'a language' is et sprog, the plural 'languages' is simply sprog. The surrounding words to (two) and nye (new) make it clear we mean more than one.
Why is the adjective nye instead of ny?
Adjectives in Danish usually add an -e when they describe plural nouns. Because we are talking about to (two) languages, the singular adjective ny becomes nye.
How do we know lærer means 'are learning' and not just 'learn'?
Danish does not have a separate '-ing' tense like English. The single present tense verb lærer translates to both 'learn' and 'are learning'. You just pick the translation that sounds most natural in English based on the context.
I thought lærer meant 'teacher'?
It can! The word lærer is both the present tense of the verb at lære (to learn) and the noun for 'a teacher' (en lærer). Because it comes right after the subject vi (we) in this sentence, we know it acts as the verb here.