Word
Kvinderne undersøger den nye rørledning.
Meaning
The women inspect the new pipeline.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Kvinderne undersøger den nye rørledning.
kvinden
the woman
den
the (common, before adjective)
ny
new
undersøge
to investigate, to examine (also a patient)
Questions & Answers about Kvinderne undersøger den nye rørledning.
Why is it den nye rørledning rather than adding the definite ending to the noun?
Because there is an adjective (nye) describing the noun. In Danish, when an adjective is present, you must use the standalone definite article (den), the adjective with its definite -e ending, and the base noun without a suffix.
What is the literal meaning of the verb undersøger?
It translates literally to 'under-seeking' from under (under) and at søge (to seek or search). It is used to mean inspect, examine, or investigate, very similar to the English concept of 'looking into' something.
How do we know the gender of the compound word rørledning?
A compound noun in Danish almost always takes the gender of its final word. Here, the final part is en ledning (a line, cable, or conduit). Because ledning is a common gender word, the entire word rørledning (pipeline) is common gender, which is why the phrase uses den.
How would I apply this lesson's topic to say 'the third newest pipeline'?
You would place the ordinal number and the superlative adjective between the definite article and the noun: den tredje nyeste rørledning. You will also often see these combined into a single word (den tredjenyeste rørledning), but they always follow the standalone definite article den while the noun itself drops its definite suffix.