Breakdown of Mit hus ligger ved siden af skolen.
huset
the house
ligge
to be located
ved siden af
next to
skolen
the school
Questions & Answers about Mit hus ligger ved siden af skolen.
Why do we say “mit” instead of “min” before “hus”?
In Danish, hus is a neuter noun (et hus), so the corresponding possessive pronoun is mit. If hus were a common-gender noun (starting with en), we would use min.
What does “ligger” mean here? Can I just use “er”?
In Danish, ligger emphasizes the location of something (often an inanimate object or building). It literally means something along the lines of “is situated/located.” You could say er (meaning “is”), but ligger more precisely expresses that your house “is located” in a specific place.
Why do we say “ved siden af” to mean “next to”?
Ved siden af is a set phrase in Danish meaning “beside” or “next to.” You could break the phrase down as “by the side of,” but it’s best to learn it as a whole when expressing “next to.”
Why is it “skolen” and not “skole” in this sentence?
Skolen is the definite form of the noun skole (a common-gender noun: en skole). Since you’re referring to a specific school (likely a known or previously mentioned one), the definite form skolen is used. If you were talking about a school in general, you would say en skole (indefinite form).