Breakdown of Han er en god gut.
være
to be
han
he
en
a / an (common)
god
good
gutten
the boy, the guy (informal)
Questions & Answers about Han er en god gut.
Why use gut instead of fyr or mand in this sentence?
While fyr is the standard neutral word for "guy," gut translates closer to "lad" or "mate." Calling someone en god gut is a very common colloquial phrase that means he is a thoroughly decent, likeable, and reliable fellow. It carries a much warmer, more affectionate tone than just saying en god mand.
Is the Danish word gut a false friend for English speakers?
Yes! It looks exactly like the English word "gut" (meaning stomach or intestines), but they are completely unrelated. The Danish word for "gut" or "intestine" is tarm. The Danish gut actually comes from old Norwegian and Jutlandic dialect words meaning "boy."
If I want to talk about a group of friends, how does this sentence change in the plural?
The plural of gut is gutter. Because the noun becomes plural, you must add an -e to the adjective, making it gode. You would say De er nogle gode gutter (They are some good guys). You will also frequently hear Danish men refer to their friend group as gutterne (the lads or the boys).
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