Derfra kan vi se havet.

Yes, derfra is one word, and it means from there.

It is made from:

• der = there
• fra = from

Danish often combines small words like this into a single adverb:

• herfra = from here
• derfra = from there
• hjemmefra = from home

So in this sentence, Derfra tells you the starting point or location from which we can see the sea.

Because Danish often puts a place or time expression first when it is the thing being emphasized.

So:

• Derfra kan vi se havet. = From there, we can see the sea.

You could also say:

• Vi kan se havet derfra.

Both are natural, but they put the focus in slightly different places:

• Derfra ... emphasizes the location
• Vi kan se havet derfra sounds more like a neutral statement

This is because Danish follows a verb-second rule in main clauses.

That means the finite verb must come in the second position.

In:

• Derfra kan vi se havet

the first element is Derfra, so the finite verb kan must come next:

1. Derfra
2. kan
3. vi
4. se
5. havet

This is very common in Danish:

• I dag kommer han. = Today he is coming.
• Derhjemme spiser vi middag. = At home we eat dinner.

If the sentence starts with Vi, then you get:

• Vi kan se havet derfra.

Kan is the present tense of kunne, which usually means can / to be able to.

So:

• kan vi se = can we see

In this sentence, it expresses possibility or ability:

• From there, we can see the sea.

A few useful forms:

• jeg kan = I can
• vi kan = we can
• kunne = could / be able to

Because after a modal verb like kan, Danish uses the infinitive without at.

So:

• kan se = can see
• not kan at se

This is similar to English:

• can see
• not can to see

Other modal verbs work the same way:

• vil se = want to / will see
• skal se = must / will see
• må se = may / must see

But without a modal verb, Danish often uses at before the infinitive:

• at se = to see

Because havet is the definite form, meaning the sea.

In Danish, the definite article is often added to the end of the noun.

So:

• et hav = a sea
• havet = the sea

This is a very important Danish pattern:

• en bil = a car
• bilen = the car
• et hus = a house
• huset = the house

Since the English meaning is the sea, Danish uses havet.

Because its indefinite form is et hav, not en hav.

Danish nouns are usually either:

• common gender with en
• neuter gender with et

For hav:

• et hav = a sea
• havet = the sea

You usually have to learn noun gender together with the word:

• et hav
• en by
• et vindue

That makes it easier to form the definite version correctly.

Yes, completely normal.

The sentence structure is:

• Derfra = adverbial/place expression
• kan = finite verb
• vi = subject
• se = infinitive
• havet = object

So the pattern is:

[adverbial] + [finite verb] + [subject] + [infinitive] + [object]

This may feel different from English, especially because English would usually keep we before can:

• From there, we can see the sea.

But in Danish, once Derfra comes first, kan must come before vi.

Yes.

You can say:

• Vi kan se havet derfra.

This is also correct and natural.

Compare:

• Derfra kan vi se havet. = emphasis on from there
• Vi kan se havet derfra. = a more neutral statement, or emphasis later in the sentence

So the difference is mostly about focus, not basic meaning.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation guide is:

DAIR-fra kan vi se HAY-veth

A few notes:

• Derfra has a soft Danish r, not a strong English r
• kan is often pronounced a bit lightly in normal speech
• vi sounds like vee
• se sounds roughly like say
• havet ends with a soft -et, not a strongly pronounced t

The exact sounds depend on accent and speaking speed, but the most important thing is to hear that havet has two syllables: ha-vet.

Very often, yes, but context matters.

• hav = sea
• havet = the sea

However, Danish may sometimes choose a different word depending on context:

• søen = the lake
• oceanet = the ocean

So in this sentence, havet is the natural translation for the sea.