Jeg ser katten mere end hunden.

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Breakdown of Jeg ser katten mere end hunden.

• hunden: the dog
• katten: the cat
• se: to see

Questions & Answers about Jeg ser katten mere end hunden.

Why is it katten instead of kat?

In Danish, the suffix -en is the definite article that means the cat. So katten means the cat, whereas kat means cat in a general sense.

Why does the sentence use mere end hunden?

Mere end in Danish translates to more than in English, and here it is specifically followed by hunden (the dog) to make a comparison. It indicates that the speaker sees the cat more (often, or more times) than the dog.

Is there an ambiguity in Jeg ser katten mere end hunden?

Yes, it can mean (1) I see the cat more often than I see the dog, or (2) I see the cat more often than the dog does. To clarify, you can rephrase it:
• Jeg ser katten oftere end jeg ser hunden (I see the cat more often than I see the dog).
• Jeg ser katten oftere, end hunden gør (I see the cat more often than the dog does).

Why is the verb ser (to see) not followed by på?

In Danish, you can say Jeg ser på katten if you mean I am looking at the cat, often in a more deliberate or continuous way. But Jeg ser katten simply states that you see the cat, without the extra nuance of looking at it for a longer time. It’s more direct, just like saying I see the cat in English.