Breakdown of Vi dyrker kartofler og tomater i haven.
og
and
vi
we
i
in
tomaten
the tomato
haven
the garden
kartoflen
the potato
dyrke
to grow (crops); to do (sport, exercise)
Questions & Answers about Vi dyrker kartofler og tomater i haven.
Why is dyrker used here instead of vokser for "grow"?
In Danish, at dyrke means to cultivate or grow something, like crops or vegetables. You use it when a person is doing the action. At vokse means to get bigger on its own. You say "Planterne vokser" (The plants are growing) but "Vi dyrker planter" (We grow plants).
The singular is en kartoffel, so why is the plural kartofler and not "kartoffeler"?
When a Danish noun ends in -el, -en, or -er (like kartoffel), it usually drops the last e before adding the plural ending -er. It also drops the double consonant. So, kartoffel becomes kartofler.
Why is the definite form haven used here instead of just en have?
Haven means "the garden." Just like in English, when you talk about growing things in your yard, you refer to a specific one: "in the garden" (i haven), rather than "in a garden" (i en have).
Could I use the preposition på instead of i for the garden?
No, you almost always use i (in) with haven. In Danish, a garden is thought of as an enclosed space, so you are standing inside its boundaries (i haven).
Learn Vi dyrker kartofler og tomater i haven and more in Danish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free