Breakdown of Han glæder sig til det lange besøg.
han
he
lang
long / far (distance)
det
the (neuter, before adjective)
glæde sig til
to look forward to
Questions & Answers about Han glæder sig til det lange besøg.
Why do we need the word sig here?
The phrase for "to look forward to" in Danish is at glæde sig til. It is an obligatory reflexive verb, meaning it always requires a reflexive pronoun like mig, dig, or sig to function. Since the subject is han (he), the matching reflexive pronoun is sig. Literally, it translates to "he gladdens himself to" the visit!
Can I leave out til if the context is clear?
No, til is required here. The specific combination of the reflexive verb glæde sig and the preposition til is exactly what creates the meaning "to look forward to".
Why is the word for "the" det instead of just adding -et to the end of besøg?
Because there is an adjective (lange) describing the noun. Normally, "the visit" is besøget. But when a noun has an adjective attached, Danish drops the noun's suffix and uses a separate article in front instead: den for common nouns, det for neuter nouns (like besøg), and de for plural.
Why does lange end in an -e?
When an adjective comes after the definite articles den, det, or de, it must take its definite form. For almost all Danish adjectives, the definite form simply adds an -e to the end of the base word, turning lang into lange.