Breakdown of Han har støvsuget gulvet og malet væggen.
han
he
og
and
have
to have
gulvet
the floor
væggen
the wall
støvsuge
to vacuum
male
to paint
Questions & Answers about Han har støvsuget gulvet og malet væggen.
How are the past participles støvsuget and malet formed in this sentence?
Both verbs are regular. To form the present perfect tense, you use the helping verb har followed by the past participle. For regular verbs like at støvsuge (to vacuum) and at male (to paint), you create the participle by adding -et to the verb stem (støvsug + et), or simply adding -t to the infinitive form.
Why isn't there another har before malet?
Just like in English, you do not need to repeat the helping verb when you connect two actions with og (and) for the same subject. Saying Han har støvsuget og har malet is grammatically correct, but dropping the second har is much more common and natural.
The dictionary word for wall is væg. Why is it spelled with a double G in væggen?
When a short Danish noun ends in a single consonant preceded by a short vowel, that final consonant usually doubles when you add the definite ending. This spelling rule tells you that the vowel sound stays short. So, en væg becomes væggen.
Why do we use the ending -et for gulvet but -en for væggen?
This is a quick reminder of noun genders! Gulv (floor) is an et-word (neuter), so it takes the -et suffix to mean the floor. Væg (wall) is an en-word (common gender), so it takes the -en suffix to mean the wall.
Learn Han har støvsuget gulvet og malet væggen and more in Danish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free