Breakdown of I dag er der en spændende begivenhed på torvet.
en
a / an (common)
i dag
today
på
on / at / in (a language) / of (after nouns like end or start)
torvet
the square
der er
there is, there are
spændende
exciting
begivenheden
the event (occurrence, incident)
Questions & Answers about I dag er der en spændende begivenhed på torvet.
Why is the word order er der instead of der er?
This happens because of the V2 (verb-second) rule. Since the sentence starts with the time phrase I dag (today), the verb er must take the second position. The formal subject der (there) is pushed after the verb, giving us I dag er der instead of I dag der er.
Could I just leave out der and say 'I dag er en spændende begivenhed på torvet'?
No, Danish requires the subject der to introduce that something exists or is happening, just like English uses the word 'there' in 'there is'. If you drop der, it sounds like you are saying 'Today is an exciting event' rather than 'Today there is an exciting event'.
Why doesn't the adjective spændende change its ending here?
The word spændende (exciting) is an adjective that ends in -ende. These types of adjectives are locked in form: they never add a '-t' or an '-e', regardless of whether the noun is an 'en' word, an 'et' word, or plural.
Why is the preposition på used for 'in the square'?
In Danish, you typically use på (on) for open public spaces and flat surfaces. Because a square (et torv) is an open area out in the city, Danish uses på torvet (literally 'on the square').
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