Vandet er koldt i glasset.

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Breakdown of Vandet er koldt i glasset.

• være: to be
• vandet: the water
• kold: cold
• glasset: the glass

Questions & Answers about Vandet er koldt i glasset.

Why do we say “Vandet” instead of just “Vand”?

In Danish, the definite article is attached to the end of the noun. So Vand (meaning water) becomes Vandet (meaning the water). English uses a separate word “the,” while Danish modifies the noun directly.

Why is the adjective “koldt” used here and not “kold”?

Danish adjectives often change their form depending on whether the noun is in the neuter or common gender, and whether it’s singular or plural. Vand is a neuter-gender word, so in the singular definite form, the adjective takes the form koldt (with a “t”).

Is it common word order in Danish to have “Vandet er koldt i glasset”?

Yes. The basic word order in a simple Danish sentence is subject + verb + object/complements. Here, Vandet (subject) + er (verb) + koldt (adjective complement) + i glasset (prepositional phrase). That mirrors the English pattern of “The water is cold in the glass.”

Why do we say “i glasset” instead of “i et glas”?

Since we already know which specific glass we are talking about—in this sentence, it’s the glass—the noun is in its definite form glasset. In Danish, we add the definite marker at the end of the noun (similar to vandet).

Does “i glasset” show a location or a condition?

It mainly shows the location, telling us where the water is cold. The phrase i glasset emphasizes that the water’s coldness is inside the glass, not somewhere else.