Maden er klar, og jeg er sulten.

The meal is ready, and I am hungry.

Breakdown of Maden er klar, og jeg er sulten.

• jeg: I
• og: and
• være: to be
• maden: the meal
• klar: ready
• sulten: hungry

Questions & Answers about Maden er klar, og jeg er sulten.

How come it’s maden and not mad at the start of the sentence?

Maden is the definite form of mad (meaning “food”). In Danish, adding the “-en” ending indicates that it is the food, rather than just food in general.

What does er mean here?

Er is the present tense form of the verb at være (to be). So maden er klar literally means the food is ready.

Why do we use klar in this context?

Klar means ready in Danish. It’s an adjective describing the state of the food, implying that it’s ready to be eaten.

What is the function of og?

Og simply means and in Danish. It connects the two clauses: maden er klar (the food is ready) and jeg er sulten (I am hungry).

Why do we say jeg er sulten instead of something like jeg har sulten?

In Danish, to express hunger, you say jeg er sulten (I am hungry), using the verb at være (to be) with the adjective sulten. Unlike some other languages that might use a construction with “to have,” Danish uses “to be” to convey that feeling of hunger.