Breakdown of Min bror ønsker sig sådan en motorcykel fordi den er sej.
være
to be
den
it (common)
en
a / an (common)
min
my
Questions & Answers about Min bror ønsker sig sådan en motorcykel fordi den er sej.
Why is it sådan en and not sådan et?
Sådan en is used because motorcykel is an en word (common gender). If he wanted an et word like a house, it would be sådan et hus, and for plural it would be sådan nogle motorcykler. It translates nicely to 'a motorcycle like that' or 'such a motorcycle'.
Why is the word sig in this sentence?
The verb at ønske means 'to wish'. When you are wishing for something for yourself (like a gift to own), Danish uses the reflexive form at ønske sig. Since the subject is Min bror (a third person), the matching reflexive pronoun is sig. If you were wishing for it, you would say Jeg ønsker mig.
Why do we use den instead of det for 'it' in the second half of the sentence?
The word 'it' refers back to the motorcycle. Because motorcykel is an en word, you must use den for 'it'. If you were talking about an et word, you would use det.
Does sej literally mean cool?
In this context, yes, it means 'cool' or 'awesome'. Originally, sej means 'tough' or 'chewy' (like hard candy or overcooked meat), but it is incredibly common in modern everyday Danish to describe something as cool.