Breakdown of Han gentager altid det samme mønster.
han
he
det
the (neuter, before adjective)
altid
always
gentage
to repeat
Questions & Answers about Han gentager altid det samme mønster.
Does samme change its ending because mønster is an et-word?
No, samme is one of the few adjectives in Danish that never changes its form. Whether it describes an en-word, an et-word like mønster (det samme mønster), or a plural noun (de samme mønstre), it is always just samme.
Why is it det samme mønster and not det samme mønsteret?
When you use an adjective (like samme) with a definite noun in Danish, you use the free-standing article before it (det for et-words). Unlike Swedish or Norwegian, standard Danish drops the noun's ending article when there is an adjective. So, you use the base form mønster, not the definite mønsteret.
Why does the adverb altid come after the verb gentager?
This is a main clause, so it follows the V2 (verb-second) rule. The subject (Han) is in the first position, so the verb (gentager) must be in the second. Central adverbs like altid, aldrig, and ikke go immediately after the first verb in a main clause.
How is the verb gentager constructed?
It comes from the prefix gen- (meaning "again" or "re-") and the verb at tage (to take). So, the Danish word for "to repeat" literally means to "take again".