Man ser ofte fuglene flyve i haven.

One often sees the birds flying in the garden.

Breakdown of Man ser ofte fuglene flyve i haven.

• i: in
• haven: the garden
• se: to see
• flyve: to fly
• ofte: often
• man: one
• fuglene: the birds

Questions & Answers about Man ser ofte fuglene flyve i haven.

Why is man used in this sentence instead of a more specific pronoun like jeg (I) or vi (we)?

In Danish, man is a general pronoun that means "one" or "people in general." It doesn't specify who is seeing the birds fly, but implies that it is something that anyone or everyone might observe.

What does ofte indicate, and why is it placed after ser?

Ofte means "often" and modifies the verb ser to indicate frequency. In Danish, adverbs can come right after the verb they modify. So Man ser ofte… means "One often sees…," showing how frequently the action takes place.

Why is fuglene in the definite plural form here?

In Danish, to refer to "the birds" in a general sense—birds that are presumably known (or just birds in the speaker’s surroundings)—you use the definite plural form: fuglene. If you wanted to say just "birds" in an indefinite sense, you would use fugle.

How come flyve is in the infinitive instead of using a conjugated form like flyver?

In Danish, when one verb directly follows another in constructions like "see someone do something," the second verb often stays in the infinitive. Hence, ser… flyve is used instead of flyver. It’s similar to how English might say "I saw the birds fly," rather than "I saw the birds flew."

What role does i haven play at the end of the sentence?

I haven means "in the garden," specifying the location where the action is taking place. Danish word order often places location elements at or near the end of the sentence to provide context on where something happens.