Breakdown of Den smilende dreng har et charmerende blik.
drengen
the boy
et
a / an (neuter)
have
to have
den
the (common, before adjective)
Questions & Answers about Den smilende dreng har et charmerende blik.
Why is it Den smilende dreng and not Den smilendee dreng, since we usually add an '-e' after Den?
Great observation! Regular adjectives get an extra -e when used with the definite article den (like den store dreng). However, present participles ending in -ende (like smilende) are completely inflexible. They never change their endings, no matter if the noun is definite, plural, or singular.
In et charmerende blik, shouldn't charmerende end in -t because blik is an et word?
Normally, yes. Regular adjectives add a -t to match an et word. But just like smilende, charmerende is a present participle ending in -ende. These words are frozen in this form and never take a -t for neuter words.
How exactly is charmerende formed from a verb?
It comes from the verb at charmere (to charm). To create the present participle (the equivalent of an '-ing' word in English), you just add -nde to the infinitive verb. So, charmere becomes charmerende.
Why does the sentence use blik for 'look' instead of udseende?
Udseende means 'look' in the sense of a person's overall physical appearance. Blik, on the other hand, means 'a look' from the eyes, like a glance or a gaze. This sentence means the boy has a charming way of looking at you, rather than saying his whole outfit and appearance are charming.