Breakdown of Børnene ønsker sig sådan et kæledyr.
et
a / an (neuter)
barnet
the child
sådan
such / like that
ønske sig
to wish for
Questions & Answers about Børnene ønsker sig sådan et kæledyr.
Why do we use sådan et here instead of sådan en?
We use sådan et because the noun it describes, kæledyr (pet), is a neuter word (et kæledyr). The phrase sådan et (meaning "such a" or "a ... like that") must always match the gender of the noun. If the word were common gender, like en hund (a dog), you would use sådan en hund.
Why is the word sig included after ønsker?
In Danish, when you wish for something to receive yourself, you use the reflexive verb at ønske sig. Because the subject here is Børnene (they), the matching reflexive pronoun is sig. Literally, the sentence says "The children wish themselves such a pet."
I learned that "child" is barn. How do we get børnene?
Barn has an irregular plural form: børn (children). To say "the children," you add the definite plural ending -ene to that plural form, which gives you børnene.
Can you explain the parts that make up the word kæledyr?
It is a compound word made from the verb at kæle (to stroke, cuddle, or pet) and the noun et dyr (an animal). So, a pet in Danish is literally a "cuddle animal"!