Han beskytter sig mod kulden om vinteren.

He protects himself from the cold in winter.

Breakdown of Han beskytter sig mod kulden om vinteren.

• kulden: the cold
• vinteren: the winter
• om: in
• han: he
• beskytte: to protect
• sig: himself

Questions & Answers about Han beskytter sig mod kulden om vinteren.

Why do we use sig in this sentence?

In Danish, sig is the reflexive pronoun used when the subject is the same person performing and receiving the action. It corresponds to “himself,” “herself,” or “themselves” in English. So, Han beskytter sig translates literally to “He protects himself.”

Why do we say mod instead of a different preposition?

Mod generally means “against” in Danish and is used to express resistance or protection against something. In this sentence, mod kulden clarifies that he is protecting himself “against the cold.”

Why is it kulden (the definite form) and not kulde?

In Danish, it’s common to use the definite form of nouns when talking about something in a general or abstract sense, like “the cold” in a seasonal context. Here, kulden refers to “the cold” in a general, encompassing way, rather than just “cold” as a concept.

What does om vinteren mean literally and why is it used instead of “i vinter”?

Om vinteren literally means “during the winter” and is a standard way of talking about something that happens habitually every winter. Saying i vinter often refers to the current or upcoming winter only, whereas om vinteren emphasizes a recurring event each winter season.

Is it common to use this word order: Han beskytter sig mod kulden om vinteren?

Yes, this is a typical Danish word order: subject (Han), verb (beskytter), reflexive pronoun (sig), prepositional phrase (mod kulden), and time phrase (om vinteren). Sentences in Danish generally follow a subject–verb–object structure, with time and place elements coming after.