Handlingen begynder i huset.

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Breakdown of Handlingen begynder i huset.

• huset: the house
• begynde: to begin
• handlingen: the plot

Questions & Answers about Handlingen begynder i huset.

What does handlingen mean here?

Handlingen is the definite form of handling, and in this kind of sentence it often means the action or the plot.

So depending on context, the whole sentence could be understood as:

• The action begins in the house
• The plot begins in the house

In everyday Danish, handling is often used about the storyline of a book, film, or play.

Why is there no separate word for the in Danish?

In Danish, the is usually added to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word.

So:

• handling = action / plot
• handlingen = the action / the plot

And:

• hus = house
• huset = the house

This is very different from English, where the comes before the noun.

Why does one word end in -en and the other in -et?

Because Danish nouns have two grammatical genders:

• common gender nouns usually take -en in the definite singular
• neuter nouns usually take -et in the definite singular

In this sentence:

• en handling → handlingen
• et hus → huset

So the ending tells you both that the noun is definite and what gender it belongs to.