Det stakkels barn er sultent.

to be

Breakdown of Det stakkels barn er sultent.

• sulten: hungry
• det: it
• barnet: the child

Questions & Answers about Det stakkels barn er sultent.

Why is there a det at the beginning? Is it it or the?

Here det is the definite article for a neuter noun, so it means the, not it.

So det stakkels barn means the poor child.

Danish often uses den/det/de before an adjective:

• den lille pige = the little girl
• det stakkels barn = the poor child
• de gamle huse = the old houses

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Why is it det and not den?

Because barn is a neuter noun in Danish.

Danish common pattern:

• den for common gender nouns
• det for neuter nouns

Examples:

• den store bil = the big car
• det store hus = the big house
• det stakkels barn = the poor child

Even though a child is a person, the noun barn is grammatically neuter.

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Why is it barn and not barnet, if the meaning is definite?