Sne betyder vinter.

Snow means winter.

Breakdown of Sne betyder vinter.

• vinteren: the winter
• betyde: to mean
• sneen: the snow

Questions & Answers about Sne betyder vinter.

Why doesn’t sne have an article in front of it?

In Danish, mass nouns like sne (snow) generally don’t need an article. They’re understood in a general sense without specifying a quantity, so you won’t see something like en sne in normal usage.

What form of the verb is betyder, and how do you pronounce it?

Betyder is the present tense of the verb betyde (to mean). In Danish, the present tense often ends in -r. Pronunciation may vary by region, but one common pronunciation is something like /bɛˈtyːðɐ/.

Does vinter need an article in this sentence?

No, because vinter is being used in a general sense, referring to the season itself rather than a specific winter. It's fine without an article here.

Is it common to form simple sentences in Danish with just a noun, a verb, and another noun like this?

Yes. Danish, like English, can form simple subject–verb–object constructions (or subject–verb–complement, in this case). Sne is the subject, betyder is the verb, and vinter is what snow ‘means’ or associates with in a broad sense.

How would I use betyde in other contexts?

You can use betyde to talk about the meaning or significance of something. For example, Hvad betyder det? means What does it mean?. It can also be used figuratively where something signifies or entails something else.