Jeg forstår den svære sætning i bogen.

I understand the difficult sentence in the book.

Breakdown of Jeg forstår den svære sætning i bogen.

• jeg: I
• i: in
• bogen: the book
• forstå: to understand
• svær: difficult
• sætningen: the sentence
• den: the

Questions & Answers about Jeg forstår den svære sætning i bogen.

Why is den used before svære sætning?

In Danish, a definite noun phrase often has the article den (for common-gender nouns) or det (for neuter nouns) when paired with an adjective. Sætning is a common-gender noun, so we use den followed by the adjective svære and then the noun sætning.

Why is the adjective svære (and not svær or svært) used here?

Danish adjectives agree in gender, number, and definiteness. Because sætning is common-gender (en sætning) and we have the definite article den plus an adjective, we add an -e ending to the adjective, making it svære.

Can I say Jeg forstår sætningen without den svære?

Yes, you can. Jeg forstår sætningen simply means "I understand the sentence" in a generic sense. When you include den svære, you specify that the sentence is difficult.

Why do we use i in i bogen instead of på bogen?

In Danish, i typically means in/inside, while på often translates to on or relates to certain other contexts like islands, squares, or surfaces. Because the sentence is physically in the book, i bogen is correct.

Is there any special stress or pronunciation tip for svære?

It’s pronounced with an -ɛɐ sound at the end, somewhat like svæ-re. Try to keep the v soft and the r clear but not rolled; this helps you achieve a more natural Danish pronunciation.