Vandet er klart og koldt.

and

Breakdown of Vandet er klart og koldt.

• være: to be
• vandet: the water
• kold: cold
• klar: clear

Questions & Answers about Vandet er klart og koldt.

Why does the sentence use vandet instead of just vand?

In Danish, the definite article is typically attached to the end of the noun rather than used as a separate word. Since vand is a neuter noun, it becomes vandet (the water) when we want the definite form.

Why do the adjectives end in -t (klart and koldt) instead of -r or -e?

In Danish, when an adjective describes a neuter singular noun in a predicative sense (after a form of er), you use the neuter form, which generally adds -t. Here, both klar (clear) and kold (cold) become klart and koldt respectively.

Why are there two adjectives in a row (klart og koldt)?

Danish, like English, can use multiple adjectives together to describe the same noun. Klart (clear) and koldt (cold) both describe vandet (the water). The conjunction og means "and," linking these two descriptions.

What is er in this sentence?

Er is the present tense of the verb være (to be). It remains the same for all subjects in Danish (jeg er, du er, han/hun/den er, etc.).

Why is there no separate word for "the" in this sentence?

Danish typically adds a suffix to form the definite article. For neuter nouns, that suffix is -et. Since vand is neuter, the definite form is vandet, and there's no separate standalone word for "the."