Questions & Answers about Kender du nogen i byen?
Why use kender for "know" instead of ved?
Danish has two different words for "to know". You use kender when you are familiar with a person, place, or thing (like being acquainted with someone). You use ved when you know a fact or piece of information. Since we are asking if you know people, kender is the right choice.
Why does the sentence start with the verb Kender instead of a word like "Do"?
Danish doesn't use helper verbs like "do" or "does" to ask questions. To make a yes/no question, you simply swap the subject (du) and the verb (kender). So, "You know" is Du kender, but "Do you know?" becomes Kender du.
Does nogen mean "someone" or "anyone"?
It can mean both! In questions like this one, nogen translates to "anyone". In a normal, positive sentence, it means "someone". Also, when spoken, the 'g' in nogen is silent, so it sounds like "no-en".
Why is there an "-en" at the end of byen?
The basic word for "a city" or "a town" is en by. In Danish, to say "the" city, you take that en and attach it to the end of the noun. This turns by into byen ("the city").