Breakdown of Der var et lille marked med mange boder.
et
a / an (neuter)
mange
many
lille
small
med
with; by (bus, train) / of, to (the meaning or point of something)
der var
there was / there were
markedet
the market
boden
the stall
Questions & Answers about Der var et lille marked med mange boder.
Why do we use "Der var" here instead of just starting with the verb?
In Danish, just like in English, we use a dummy subject to state that something exists. Der var translates exactly to "There was". You need der to fill the subject position because a standard Danish sentence requires a subject to go with the verb.
Since "marked" is an et-word, why isn't the adjective "lillet"?
The word for "small", lille, is a major exception to the normal adjective rules. It never adds a -t when describing an et-word. It stays lille for both en and et words in the singular. (When plural, it changes completely to små).
Why do we use "mange" instead of "meget" here?
You must use mange because boder (stalls) is a countable noun. Just like in English, Danish distinguishes between things you can count (mange, meaning "many") and uncountable mass nouns like water or time (meget, meaning "much").
How is the plural of "bod" formed in this sentence?
The singular is en bod (a stall). It follows a very common Danish plural pattern by adding -er to the end, becoming boder (stalls).
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