De spiser frugt og drikker vand.

and

Breakdown of De spiser frugt og drikker vand.

• drikke: to drink
• vandet: the water
• frugten: the fruit
• spise: to eat
• de: they

Questions & Answers about De spiser frugt og drikker vand.

What does De mean in this sentence?

In Danish, De translates to “they” and serves as the plural subject for the actions that follow.

How are the two actions in the sentence connected?

The two actions, “spiser frugt” (eat fruit) and “drikker vand” (drink water), are connected by the conjunction og (and). Notice that the single subject De applies to both verbs.

Why are there no articles before frugt and vand?

In Danish, general or mass nouns—like frugt (fruit) and vand (water)—often appear without an article when referring to them in a general sense. This differs from English, where we might sometimes say “some fruit” or “some water.”

How are the present tense forms spiser and drikker formed?

For many Danish verbs, the present tense is created by adding an -r to the base form. Thus, spise becomes spiser and drikke becomes drikker. These forms remain the same regardless of whether the subject is singular or plural.

Is it necessary to repeat the subject De for both verbs?

No, it isn’t necessary. In Danish, when two verbs share the same subject—as they do here—the subject is stated only once at the beginning, and it applies to both actions.