Breakdown of Jeg ved ikke hvorfor drengene ikke er modne endnu.
jeg
I
være
to be
drengen
the boy
ikke
not
vide
to know
hvorfor
why?
endnu
yet; still
moden
ripe, mature
Questions & Answers about Jeg ved ikke hvorfor drengene ikke er modne endnu.
Why is the adjective modne spelled like this instead of modene?
The dictionary form of the adjective is moden (mature). When an adjective ends in '-en', it drops that 'e' before taking the plural ending. Because it describes the plural subject drengene, moden drops its 'e' and adds the plural 'e', shrinking down to modne.
Why does the second ikke come before the verb er?
The phrase starting with hvorfor is a subordinate clause (a sentence inside a sentence). In Danish subordinate clauses, a major rule is that sentence adverbs like ikke must come right after the subject (drengene) and before the verb (er).
How is the plural definite noun drengene put together?
The root word is dreng (boy). You first add '-e' to make the plural drenge (boys), and then you add the plural definite ending '-ne' to make drengene (the boys).
Is endnu only used for negative sentences like this one?
It is used here to mean 'yet' because the clause is negative (ikke er modne endnu). However, endnu can also be used in positive sentences, where it translates to 'still'.
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