Word
Familien slog sig ned i en lille by ved havet.
Meaning
The family settled in a small town by the sea.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Familien slog sig ned i en lille by ved havet.
en
a / an (common)
i
in
byen
the city
familien
the family
Questions & Answers about Familien slog sig ned i en lille by ved havet.
How does the verb slå (to hit) end up meaning settled in this sentence?
The phrase at slå sig ned is a fixed idiom meaning to settle down or to establish a home. While slå on its own usually means to hit or strike, combining it with the reflexive pronoun sig and the adverb ned completely changes its meaning. Slog is the irregular past tense.
Why does this sentence use the reflexive pronoun sig?
The expression at slå sig ned is inherently reflexive in Danish, similar to saying to settle oneself down in English. Because the subject familien is in the third person, you must use the third-person reflexive pronoun sig.
Is familien considered singular or plural here, and does it affect the choice of sig?
Grammatically, familien is a singular noun. However, even if you were talking about multiple families or members, the reflexive pronoun would not change. In Danish, sig is universally used for all third-person subjects, whether they are singular (he/she/it) or plural (they).
Why do we use the preposition ved instead of på for the sea?
When describing a location situated right next to a body of water or a coastline, Danish uses ved (by or at the edge of). If you said på havet, it would mean the town is literally out floating on the water.