Breakdown of Vi læser et dansk digt i klassen.
et
a / an (neuter)
læse
to read
vi
we
i
in
dansk
Danish
klassen
the class
digtet
the poem
Questions & Answers about Vi læser et dansk digt i klassen.
Why doesn't the adjective dansk get a -t at the end since digt is an et word?
You are right that adjectives normally add a -t when describing neuter (et) words. However, adjectives that end in -sk, such as nationalities like dansk, are an exception to this rule and do not take the extra -t.
The English translation says "in class", so why does the Danish sentence use the definite form klassen?
Danish uses the definite form klassen (meaning "the class") because you are in a specific, known class. While English drops the word "the" in the set phrase "in class", Danish keeps it literal and requires the definite ending -en here.
How do we know to translate læser as "are reading" instead of just "read"?
Danish does not have a separate present continuous tense (like the English "-ing" form) to show that something is happening right now. The simple present tense verb læser covers both "read" and "are reading". You rely on the context of the sentence to pick the most natural English translation.
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