Questions & Answers about Hun står ved udgangen.
Why does this sentence use står instead of a word for 'is'?
Danish lacks an exact match for the English '-ing' form. To describe what someone 'is doing' right now, Danish often uses position verbs like står (stands), sidder (sits), or ligger (lies). Here, it specifically tells us she is on her feet.
Could I just say Hun er ved udgangen to mean she is at the exit?
Yes, Hun er ved udgangen is grammatically correct. However, Danish speakers love to specify posture. If a person is upright, using står sounds much more natural and descriptive than just using er (is).
Why use the preposition ved here rather than i or på?
Ved means 'by', 'next to', or 'at'. You use it when someone is in close proximity to a point of reference but not physically enclosed inside it (i) or directly on top of it (på).
I recognize ud means 'out', but how does the rest of udgangen work?
Udgangen is a compound noun. It combines ud (out) and gang (passage or corridor). The -en at the very end is the definite article, changing en udgang (an exit) into udgangen (the exit).
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