Breakdown of De forelskede sig på ferien.
de
they
på
on / at / in (a language) / of (after nouns like end or start)
ferien
the holiday, the vacation
forelske sig
to fall in love
Questions & Answers about De forelskede sig på ferien.
Why does this sentence use sig?
In Danish, the verb for "to fall in love" is reflexive: at forelske sig. Literally, it means to enamor oneself. Since the subject is De (they), the matching reflexive pronoun is sig.
Why do we use på instead of i for "on holiday"?
Danish uses på with many temporary states, activities, or events outside the home, such as på ferie (on holiday), på arbejde (at work), or på weekend (for the weekend).
Why is it ferien (the holiday) when the English translation just says "on holiday"?
Danish often uses the definite form to refer to a specific instance of an event. På ferien means they fell in love during that specific holiday they took, even though English drops the article in the general phrase "on holiday."
Is forelskede a verb or an adjective in this sentence?
It is the past tense of the verb at forelske here. You might recognize forelsket as the adjective for "in love" (as in de er forelskede - they are in love), but in this sentence, De forelskede sig is an active verb phrase meaning they fell in love.