Bilen er rød.

to be

Breakdown of Bilen er rød.

• rød: red
• bilen: the car

Questions & Answers about Bilen er rød.

What does Bilen mean in this sentence?

Bilen is the definite form of the noun bil. In Danish, bil means "car", and by adding the definite ending, it becomes "the car".

What is the role of er in the sentence?

Er is the present tense form of the verb at være, which means "to be". In this sentence, it functions just like the English verb "is".

What does rød mean, and how is it used here?

Rød means "red". It is used as a predicate adjective to describe the subject Bilen after the verb er.

How is the sentence structure in Danish similar to English?

The sentence follows a similar subject–verb–adjective order as in English. Here, Bilen (the subject) comes first, followed by er (the verb), and then rød (the predicate adjective).

Why doesn’t the adjective rød change form even though the noun is definite?

In Danish, when an adjective is used as a predicate following the verb (as in Bilen er rød), it typically appears in its basic form. The inflection of adjectives usually occurs when they are placed directly before a noun, not after a linking verb.

How is the definite form of nouns formed in Danish compared to English?

Unlike English, which uses a separate word ("the") for the definite form, Danish forms the definite by adding a suffix to the noun. For example, bil becomes Bilen to mean "the car".