Breakdown of En stor fugl flyver tæt over huset.
huset
the house
en
a
stor
big
fuglen
the bird
flyve
to fly
over
over
tæt
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Questions & Answers about En stor fugl flyver tæt over huset.
Why is the word en used at the beginning of the sentence instead of et?
In Danish, fugl (bird) is a common gender noun, which requires the article en rather than et. So we say en fugl (a bird) rather than et fugl.
Why do we say flyver and not flyve in this sentence?
Flyver is the present tense form of the verb flyve (to fly). In Danish, verbs are usually conjugated for tense but not for person; for the present tense, flyve becomes flyver for all subjects.
What does tæt mean in this context?
In this sentence, tæt functions as an adverb meaning closely or near to. It describes the manner in which the bird flies over the house.
Why is the word order flyver tæt over huset and not tæt flyver over huset?
Danish typically places adverbs (like tæt) in the central part of the sentence, after the verb, especially when describing how something is done. So the pattern is subject–verb–adverb, rather than subject–adverb–verb.
How is huset formed compared to an indefinite form like et hus?
Danish forms the definite article by appending -et or -en to the noun, depending on the gender. Since hus is a neuter noun (et hus), the definite form becomes huset.