Bogen handler om en lille fugl i huset.

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Breakdown of Bogen handler om en lille fugl i huset.

• huset: the house
• en: a
• fuglen: the bird
• bogen: the book
• handle om: to be about
• lille: small

Questions & Answers about Bogen handler om en lille fugl i huset.

Why does handler om mean “is about” when it literally translates to something else?

Handler om is a set phrase in Danish that means “deals with” or “is about.” While it might look like it literally means something else, this is simply the standard expression for discussing what a book, film, or article focuses on.

Can I say Bogen er om en lille fugl instead?

That would sound unnatural to native speakers. In Danish, you typically use handler om to describe what a book (or similar) is about. Saying Bogen er om doesn’t follow the usual Danish construction.

Why do we use lille before fugl?

In Danish, adjectives generally precede the noun when using the indefinite article. So you see en lille fugl instead of something like fugl lille.

How does the definite form in huset work?

For many nouns in Danish, the definite article is added as a suffix. With hus (house), it becomes huset (the house). Where English uses “the” in front, Danish usually attaches it to the end.

Why is it en in en lille fugl but et would be used for et hus?

Danish has two main grammatical genders for nouns: common gender (n-words) and neuter gender (t-words). Fugl is a common gender noun, so it takes en. Hus is neuter, so it takes et. This is why you see en lille fugl but et hus.