Jeg ser barnet lege i haven.

I see the child playing in the garden.

Breakdown of Jeg ser barnet lege i haven.

• jeg: I
• i: in
• haven: the garden
• se: to see
• barnet: the child
• lege: to play

Questions & Answers about Jeg ser barnet lege i haven.

How can I tell that barnet is the definite form of the noun for "child"?

In Danish, indefinite nouns often have an article in front (e.g., et barn meaning "a child"). The definite form is created by adding a suffix to the noun (e.g., barnet meaning "the child"). Thus, barnet is simply "the child."

Why do we use ser in this sentence, and what tense is it?

Ser is the present tense form of the verb at se ("to see"). It’s used here to express that the action of seeing is happening now or is a general observation.

What is the function of lege in this sentence?

In Danish, when one verb (like ser) is followed by another verb referring to what someone or something is doing, that second verb often appears in the infinitive form (without at, in this construction). So lege is the infinitive form of "to play," indicating the action the child is doing.

Why is it i haven rather than something else?

I haven means "in the garden," where haven is the definite form of the noun have ("garden"). Just like with barnet, the -en ending indicates "the," so haven is "the garden." I haven tells us the location of the action, which is "in the (specific) garden."