Jeg giver min ven en bog.

I give my friend a book.

Breakdown of Jeg giver min ven en bog.

• jeg: I
• en: a
• bogen: the book
• min: my
• vennen: the friend
• give: to give

Questions & Answers about Jeg giver min ven en bog.

How do I pronounce Jeg and giver in Danish?

Jeg is typically pronounced a bit like "yai," with a soft "j" sound. Giver is pronounced somewhat like “gee-vuh,” where the r at the end can be very light or slightly rolled, depending on the speaker’s accent.

Why is there no separate word for “to” in Jeg giver min ven en bog, as we have in English “I give a book to my friend”?

In Danish, the indirect object (the friend) typically goes directly after the verb, so min ven follows giver. If you want to specifically include “to,” you can say Jeg giver en bog til min ven, but the structure Jeg giver min ven en bog is more common and natural in everyday speech.

How does word order work in this sentence? Why do we see Jeg (subject) before giver (verb)?

Danish generally follows a Subject-Verb-Object pattern in declarative sentences. So, you have Jeg (subject), giver (verb), min ven (indirect object), and en bog (direct object). This is the most standard way to express who is doing the giving, who is receiving, and what is being given.

Is there a difference between en and et in Danish, and why is en used before bog?

Danish has two grammatical genders, known as common gender and neuter. En is used for common gender nouns, while et is used for neuter nouns. Bog (book) is a common gender noun, so it naturally takes en.

Could I say Jeg giver en bog til min ven instead?

Yes, that would still be correct. Adding til explicitly indicates “to,” but it's not necessary. Both Jeg giver min ven en bog and Jeg giver en bog til min ven are acceptable in Danish, though the original version is more typical for spoken language.