Breakdown of Drengen går hen til kiosken.
drengen
the boy
til
to (preposition) / for (purpose) / at (an event or occasion) / at (good at something)
gå
to walk / to go / to go out, to fail (of power)
hen
over (to), along (direction)
kiosken
the kiosk
Questions & Answers about Drengen går hen til kiosken.
Why do we use hen instead of henne here?
Because there is movement towards a destination. The verb går (is walking) shows action. If the boy were already standing at the kiosk, you would use the locational form henne.
Why use both hen and til? Doesn't til already mean "to"?
Yes, but Danish frequently pairs directional adverbs like hen with prepositions like til to emphasize the path or idea of going "over" somewhere. It makes the sentence flow much more naturally than just using til on its own.
Is it wrong to just say Drengen går til kiosken without hen?
It is not grammatically wrong, but it sounds a bit flat. Adding hen gives the sentence a better spatial flow, very similar to the difference between "walking to" and "walking over to" in English.
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