Sne er lavet af små iskrystaller.

to be made

Breakdown of Sne er lavet af små iskrystaller.

• af: of
• sneen: the snow
• små: small
• iskrystallen: the ice crystal

Questions & Answers about Sne er lavet af små iskrystaller.

Why is sne used without an article?

In Danish, sne is treated as a mass noun, so it doesn't usually take an article like en or et. You'll commonly just see sne to mean "snow."

What does er lavet af mean in this context?

Er lavet af translates to "is made of." The verb lave means "to make," and in this passive-like construction, er lavet af describes what something is composed of.

How do I understand the word af here?

The word af in Danish can mean "of," "from," or "by," depending on context. In this sentence, it indicates the material or substance that sne is made from—"of."

Why is the adjective små used instead of another form like lille?

Lille is the singular form meaning "little" or "small," while små is the plural form. Since iskrystaller ("ice crystals") is plural, you need the plural adjective små.

Can you explain the compound noun iskrystaller?

Iskrystaller is formed by combining is (ice) and krystaller (crystals). Danish frequently forms compound nouns like this, joining words together to create new concepts without inserting extra spaces or hyphens.