Questions & Answers about Hvor er min tandbørste og din tandpasta?
Why does this sentence use min and din instead of mit and dit?
In Danish, possessive words like "my" and "your" have to match the gender of the noun they describe. Because both tandbørste (toothbrush) and tandpasta (toothpaste) are common gender words (they use en), we use min and din. If they were neuter gender words (using et), you would use mit and dit.
The sentence asks about two things (a toothbrush and toothpaste). Why doesn't the verb change to match a plural subject?
In Danish, the verb er translates to "am", "is", and "are". Danish verbs never change their form depending on the subject. So whether you are asking about one item or multiple items, the verb remains exactly the same: er.
Are tandbørste and tandpasta compound words?
Yes, and they translate perfectly to English! Tand means "tooth", børste means "brush", and pasta means "paste". Danish builds compound words by sticking simpler words together, just like English does.