Breakdown of Huset er lille, men haven er stor.
være
to be
huset
the house
stor
big
haven
the garden
men
but
lille
small
Questions & Answers about Huset er lille, men haven er stor.
Why does the word for house end in -et (huset) but the word for garden ends in -en (haven)?
In Danish, you usually say 'the' by adding an ending directly to the noun. The ending depends on the noun's gender. Hus is an et word, so it gets -et to become huset. Have is an en word, so it gets -en to become haven.
Since huset is an et word, why isn't the word for small spelled lillet?
Normally, adjectives get a -t added to the end when they describe an et word. However, lille (small) is a special, irregular adjective. It never takes a -t ending, so it stays lille for both en words and et words.
Why is the word for big spelled stor and not stort here?
Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. Because stor describes haven (which is an en word), it takes the basic form stor. If it were describing the house instead, you would add a -t and say huset er stort.
Does the word men change the word order in the second half of the sentence?
No. Men is a linking word that simply joins two regular sentences together. The second part (haven er stor) keeps the standard subject-verb word order, exactly like the first part (huset er lille).
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