Breakdown of Hun er single og bor alene med sin hund.
være
to be
hun
she
og
and
hunden
the dog
bo
to live
sin
his/her/its own (common)
med
with; by (bus, train) / of, to (the meaning or point of something)
alene
alone
single
single (not in a relationship)
Questions & Answers about Hun er single og bor alene med sin hund.
Why does the sentence use sin instead of hendes for "her"?
In Danish, sin (along with sit and sine) is a reflexive possessive pronoun. It is used when the owner is the third-person subject of the sentence, which in this case is hun. If the sentence used hendes hund, it would mean she lives with some other woman's dog.
Could I use lever instead of bor for the word "lives" here?
No, bor is used specifically when talking about residing or having a physical address somewhere. Lever means to be alive or refers to your general existence, so saying she lever alene would sound a bit dramatic, like she is surviving out in the world all by herself, rather than just having her own apartment.
Is single a standard word in Danish, or is it just English slang?
Single is a fully integrated English loanword in Danish, and it is the most common way to describe someone who is not in a relationship. While you might occasionally see the older word enlig, single is the most natural everyday choice here.
Does alene imply that she is lonely?
Not necessarily. Alene strictly means "alone" in a physical or practical sense, just like in English. If you specifically wanted to express that she feels lonely, you would need to use a different word entirely: ensom.
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