Breakdown of Hun ser katten, og den ser stor ud.
og
and
katten
the cat
stor
big
se
to see
den
it
hun
she
se ud
to look
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Questions & Answers about Hun ser katten, og den ser stor ud.
Why is den used instead of det to refer to the cat?
In Danish, a cat (kat) is a common gender noun, which takes the pronoun den; det is used for neuter nouns. Since kat is common gender, you use den rather than det.
Why do we say ser stor ud instead of just ser stor?
In Danish, adding ud after ser is common when describing outward appearance. So ser stor ud means it looks big from the outside (to the observer). Without ud, the phrase might not fully capture that sense of appearance.
Can ser mean both see and looks in Danish?
Yes, ser can mean see (as in Hun ser katten = She sees the cat) or function as part of a phrase that means looks like (as in den ser stor ud = it looks big). Context tells you which meaning is intended.
What is the difference between Hun ser katten and Hun kigger på katten?
Hun ser katten essentially means She sees the cat (noticing it visually), while Hun kigger på katten means She looks at the cat (actively directing her gaze). Both are correct, but they can convey slightly different nuances of looking.
Why is katten in definite form here?
Katten means the cat (definite), which suggests the speaker (or listener) already knows which cat is being referred to. If it were just a cat in general, you would say en kat.