Breakdown of Mælken er sur, så jeg drikker den ikke.
jeg
I
være
to be
den
it (common)
drikke
to drink
mælken
the milk
ikke
not
så
then, so
sur
sour
Questions & Answers about Mælken er sur, så jeg drikker den ikke.
Why is it den and not det for "it" in this sentence?
In Danish, the word for "it" depends on the gender of the noun you are referring back to. Because milk is an en-word (which we can see from the definite form mælken), we must use den. If we were talking about an et-word, like æblet (the apple), we would use det.
Why does ikke come at the very end of the sentence here?
Usually in a main clause, ikke comes after the verb but before the object (for example: jeg drikker ikke mælken). However, when the object is a short pronoun like den or det, it usually jumps in front of ikke. Therefore, the order changes to jeg drikker den ikke.
Does så change the word order in the second part of the sentence?
No, så (so) is a coordinating conjunction, meaning it joins two normal main clauses. The word order in the second clause stays standard: subject (jeg) followed by the verb (drikker). If we had used a linking word like derfor (therefore) instead, the verb and subject would swap places to maintain the V2 rule: ...derfor drikker jeg den ikke.
Why does the word for sour not have a "-t" at the end (surt)?
Adjectives in Danish must agree with the gender of the noun they describe. Since mælken is a singular en-word, the adjective stays in its basic form, sur. If it were describing an et-word, it would be surt, and if it were plural, it would be sure.
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