Spejlet er plettet.

to be

Breakdown of Spejlet er plettet.

• spejlet: the mirror
• plettet: spotted

Questions & Answers about Spejlet er plettet.

What does spejlet mean, and how is its definite form formed in Danish?

Spejlet means the mirror. In Danish, rather than using a separate word for the article, definiteness is expressed by adding a suffix to the noun. In this case, the noun spejl (mirror) takes the suffix -et to become spejlet, indicating that it is definite.

What role does the word er play in the sentence?

Er is the present form of at være, which translates to is in English. It functions as a linking verb that connects the subject (spejlet) with the predicate (plettet), similar to the role of "is" in the English sentence "The mirror is stained."

Is plettet simply an adjective, or does it have a verbal origin?

Plettet serves as a predicate adjective here, describing the condition of the mirror as being stained. Although it is derived from the past participle of the verb at plette (to stain), in this sentence it functions adjectivally to indicate the mirror’s state.

Why is there no separate word for the definite article in the sentence?

Danish typically combines the definite article with the noun as a suffix. Instead of placing a separate word equivalent to "the" before spejl, the language appends -et to form spejlet. This is a distinct grammatical feature of Danish and other Scandinavian languages.

How does the structure of Spejlet er plettet. compare to its English equivalent, "The mirror is stained."?

The structure is quite similar in both languages. Both sentences follow a subject-verb-predicate format: spejlet corresponds to the mirror, er corresponds to is, and plettet corresponds to stained. However, Danish expresses definiteness through a suffix attached to the noun, which is a key difference from the English approach of using a separate word for the definite article.