Katten fanger fisken.

Because Danish usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun.

• kat = cat
• katten = the cat
• fisk = fish
• fisken = the fish

This is one of the first big differences from English. Instead of putting the before the noun, Danish often attaches it as a suffix.

So:

• en kat = a cat
• katten = the cat
• en fisk = a fish
• fisken = the fish

Both kat and fisk are common-gender nouns, so their singular definite ending is -en.

Danish nouns have two grammatical genders:

• common gender → usually definite ending -en
• neuter gender → usually definite ending -et

Here:

• en kat → katten
• en fisk → fisken

Both nouns take en in the indefinite form, so they are common gender.

Compare:

• et hus = a house
• huset = the house

So -en here tells you these nouns are not neuter.

Fanger is the present tense of the verb at fange, which means to catch.

So:

• at fange = to catch
• fanger = catch / catches / is catching, depending on context

In this sentence, Katten fanger fisken, the natural English translation is often The cat catches the fish or The cat is catching the fish.

Danish present tense can cover both ideas, depending on context.

Because Danish verbs do not change for person the way English verbs sometimes do.

In English:

• I catch
• you catch
• he/she catches

In Danish, the present tense stays the same:

• jeg fanger = I catch
• du fanger = you catch
• katten fanger = the cat catches

So fanger works with all subjects in the present tense.

Yes, in this sentence it is.

Katten fanger fisken follows the pattern:

• Subject: Katten
• Verb: fanger
• Object: fisken

So it is basically SVO word order, just like English:

• The cat catches the fish

However, Danish also has the verb-second rule in main clauses. That means the finite verb usually comes in the second position, even if something else starts the sentence.

For example:

• I dag fanger katten fisken. = Today, the cat catches the fish.

Here I dag comes first, but fanger still stays in second position.

Yes. Because both nouns are definite:

• katten = the cat
• fisken = the fish

That normally points to a specific cat and a specific fish, or at least ones that are understood from the context.

If you wanted a more general or indefinite version, you would say:

• En kat fanger en fisk. = A cat catches a fish

So the definite endings matter a lot.

Yes. Danish present tense often covers both:

• simple present: The cat catches the fish
• present progressive: The cat is catching the fish

The exact meaning depends on context.

If Danish wants to make the ongoing action especially clear, it can sometimes use other expressions, but the plain present tense is very common and flexible.

Because in Danish, the most common way to mark definiteness is with a suffix attached to the noun itself.

So instead of:

• the cat
• the fish

you usually get:

• katten
• fisken

Danish can use a separate definite word such as den or det, but usually that happens in different structures, especially with adjectives.

For example:

• katten = the cat
• den sorte kat = the black cat

So with a plain noun by itself, the suffix is normal.

You would say:

• En kat fanger en fisk.

That means:

• A cat catches a fish / A cat is catching a fish

Here:

• en kat = a cat
• en fisk = a fish

So the difference is:

• Katten fanger fisken. = The cat catches the fish
• En kat fanger en fisk. = A cat catches a fish

A rough English-friendly guide would be something like:

• Katten ≈ KAT-en
• fanger ≈ FANG-er (but the Danish sounds are softer and more swallowed than in English)
• fisken ≈ FIS-gen or FIS-ken, depending on how roughly you are approximating it

A few useful notes:

• Danish pronunciation is often less phonetic than spelling suggests.
• In fanger, the g is not usually pronounced like a hard English g in go.
• The -er ending in Danish often sounds more like a soft uh sound.
• katten has a short a because of the double t.

A more accurate pronunciation depends on the speaker and accent, but the main thing for a beginner is to recognize the words and not expect them to sound exactly like they are spelled.