Din hund ser glad ud i haven.

the dog

Breakdown of Din hund ser glad ud i haven.

• i: in
• haven: the garden
• glad: happy
• din: your

Questions & Answers about Din hund ser glad ud i haven.

Why do we use ser instead of other Danish verbs like kigger or ligner?

Ser in this sentence expresses the idea of looking a certain way. Kigger would mean to look (at something), and ligner would mean resembles. So ser + ud together is the common expression to say someone or something looks (appears) a certain way.

What is the function of ud in ser glad ud?

The word ud completes the expression ser ... ud, which is used when describing how someone or something appears. It literally translates to looks (out) but in practice means looks or seems.

Why is it Din hund and not Dit hund?

Din and dit are both Danish words for your, but din is used with common-gender nouns (like hund), while dit is used with neuter nouns. Since hund is common gender, we say din hund.

Why does haven end with -en?

In Danish, nouns typically get a definite article by adding -en or -et at the end, instead of putting the in front. As have (garden) is a common-gender noun, its definite form is haven (the garden).

Could we say Din hund ser glad i haven without ud?

Technically, native speakers would still understand you, but it would sound incomplete. The usual way to say Your dog looks happy in the garden is by using ser glad ud to convey appearance. Ser glad i haven might read more like Your dog *sees happily in the garden*, which isn’t the intended meaning.