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Questions & Answers about Forældrene hjælper børnene.
Why does forældrene end in -ne while børnene ends in -ene?
In Danish, to say "the" with a plural noun, you attach an ending to the word instead of using a separate word. If the plural word already ends in an -e like forældre (parents), you just add -ne to make forældrene. If the plural word ends in a consonant like børn (children), you add -ene to make børnene.
Since the subject is plural (parents), why doesn't the verb hjælper change form?
Danish verbs are delightfully simple in the present tense because they do not change based on who is doing the action. Whether it is "I help" (jeg hjælper), "he helps" (han hjælper), or a plural like "the parents help" (forældrene hjælper), the verb always takes the same form and usually ends in -r.
Is børnene related to the word barn (child)?
Yes! The word barn is an irregular noun in Danish. To make it plural, the vowel changes, making it børn (children). To say "the children", you then add the plural definite ending -ene to get børnene.
How do we know who is helping who? Could this mean the children are helping?
Danish relies heavily on word order, just like English. In a standard statement like this, the subject comes first. Because forældrene comes before the verb, they are the ones doing the helping, and børnene comes after because they are receiving the help.