Breakdown of Vi havde aldrig set det nye stadion før.
se
to see / to look at
vi
we
have
to have
ny
new
det
the (neuter, before adjective)
aldrig
never
før
before
stadionet
the stadium
Questions & Answers about Vi havde aldrig set det nye stadion før.
Why does aldrig come between havde and set?
In Danish main clauses, central adverbs like aldrig (never) or ikke (not) are placed immediately after the first verb. Because this sentence uses a compound tense (past perfect), aldrig splits the helper verb (havde) and the main verb (set).
Why is it det nye stadion instead of det nye stadionet?
When you have an adjective and a noun in a definite phrase, Danish uses the front article (det for neuter nouns) and leaves the noun in its base form. Unlike some other Scandinavian languages, you do not add the definite suffix (-et) to the noun when there is a front article.
Why does the adjective ny have an -e at the end here?
Adjectives get an -e ending when they are part of a definite noun phrase. The definite front article det triggers this rule, changing ny to nye.
What form of the verb "to see" is set?
set is the past participle of at se. It is combined with the auxiliary verb havde to create the past perfect tense ("had seen"). If you wanted to say "saw" (simple past), you would use så.
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