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Questions & Answers about Kender du fru Larsen?
Why use kender here instead of ved for "know"?
In Danish, there is a strict difference between knowing a person or place and knowing a fact. You use kende to mean "be acquainted with," which is why it is used for a person like fru Larsen. You use vide (present tense ved) when you know a piece of information, such as "I know where she lives" (Jeg ved, hvor hun bor).
Why is fru written with a lowercase letter?
Unlike in English, Danish titles like fru (Mrs.) and hr. (Mr.) are not capitalized unless they happen to be the very first word in a sentence.
Is it common to refer to someone as fru Larsen in everyday Danish?
Not anymore. Modern Danish is very informal, and people almost always use first names, even with bosses, doctors, or teachers. Using a title and last name like fru Larsen sounds quite old-fashioned or overly formal today, though you might still see it in older books or historical films.
Why is there no word for "do" in this question?
Danish does not use a helper verb like "do" to ask a question. Instead, it simply swaps the subject and the verb. Starting the sentence with the verb Kender immediately turns the statement "You know" into the question "Do you know?".