Word
Han brækkede sig på toilettet.
Meaning
He threw up in the toilet.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Han brækkede sig på toilettet.
han
he
på
on / at / in (a language) / of (after nouns like end or start)
toilettet
the toilet
brække sig
to throw up, to vomit
Questions & Answers about Han brækkede sig på toilettet.
Why does the sentence use brækkede sig if brække means to break?
While at brække does mean to break a physical object like a bone, adding the reflexive pronoun sig (oneself) changes the meaning entirely. At brække sig is a fixed phrase that means to throw up or vomit.
Why is the preposition på used here instead of i for in the toilet?
Danish commonly uses på (literally on) for specific rooms or locations, especially bathrooms. You say på toilettet to mean in the restroom or bathroom. If you used i toilettet, it would sound like he was physically inside the toilet bowl!
Why is the spelling toilettet with a double T at the end?
The base word is et toilet. To make it definite (the toilet), you add the -et ending. Because it is a loanword ending in a stressed syllable with a single consonant, Danish spelling rules require doubling that final consonant, resulting in toilettet.