Månen er smuk på himlen.

to be

Breakdown of Månen er smuk på himlen.

• på: on
• månen: the moon
• himlen: the sky
• smuk: beautiful

Questions & Answers about Månen er smuk på himlen.

Why is it Månen instead of just Måne?

In Danish, nouns often take a definite article as an ending rather than a separate word, so Måne (moon) becomes Månen (the moon) when you want to say the moon. In this sentence, the speaker is referring specifically to “the moon” rather than “a moon,” hence the definite form.

How do you pronounce Månen?

Månen is pronounced somewhat like “MOH-nen.” The å vowel is an open-mid back rounded vowel, similar to the 'o' in “more,” but a bit more rounded.

Why do you use er in Månen er smuk?

Er is the present tense of the verb at være (to be). In a simple descriptive sentence like Månen er smuk (The moon is beautiful), you need the verb “to be” followed by the adjective.

What does på himlen literally mean, and why not i himlen?

På himlen literally translates to on the sky, but in Danish it’s the standard expression to describe where something appears in the sky. Using i himlen sounds more like "in heaven" rather than "in the sky."

Can the word order be changed to Smuk er månen på himlen?

Word order is quite flexible in Danish, but placing the adjective first would sound poetic or old-fashioned. The most common and natural word order is Månen er smuk på himlen. Putting smuk at the front feels more like an exclamation or a poem line than standard everyday speech.