Om aftenen ser jeg et program på fjernsynet, som fortæller historier om forskellige fugle.

I

Breakdown of Om aftenen ser jeg et program på fjernsynet, som fortæller historier om forskellige fugle.

• et: a
• se: to see
• fuglen: the bird
• på: on
• aftenen: the evening
• om: in
• forskellig: different
• programmet: the program
• fjernsynet: the television
• som: that
• fortælle: to tell
• historien: the story
• om: about

Questions & Answers about Om aftenen ser jeg et program på fjernsynet, som fortæller historier om forskellige fugle.

Why is it om aftenen and not i aften?

In Danish, om aftenen literally translates to "in the evening" (a habitual action), indicating something that regularly happens in the evenings. On the other hand, i aften means "this evening" specifically, referring to a single occurrence. Since the sentence suggests a regular habit (something I do in the evenings), om aftenen is more appropriate.

What does på fjernsynet literally mean, and is there another way to say it?

Fjernsyn is the Danish word for "television," and på fjernsynet basically means "on the television set." Many Danes also say på tv or i fjernsynet, using a shorthand for fjernsyn or borrowing the English/abbreviated form tv. Both ways are acceptable in everyday language.

Why do we use the word som in the sentence?

Som is the Danish relative pronoun that functions similarly to "that/which/who" in English. In this sentence, it's linking the program (et program) to the clause that describes it (fortæller historier om forskellige fugle). It specifies which program we’re talking about.

Why is it forskellige fugle and not forskellige fugler or another form?

Danish nouns form plurals in various ways. Fugl (bird) becomes fugle in plural. There is no extra ending like "-er" for "fugle," because that's already the standard plural form. Also, forskellige means "different/various," and it doesn't change whether you're talking about singular or plural nouns—it stays forskellige with plural nouns.

Could you explain the use of ser versus kigger in this context?

Ser generally means "to watch" (e.g., ser fjernsyn – "watch TV"). Kigger means "to look" or "to look at," which can also be used in some contexts (e.g., kigger på fjernsynet – literally "look at the television"). However, when talking about watching a program, ser is more natural because it usually indicates actively watching something.