Jeg kommer sent til skolen.

I arrive late at school.

Breakdown of Jeg kommer sent til skolen.

• jeg: I
• skolen: the school
• til: to
• sent: late
• komme: to arrive

Questions & Answers about Jeg kommer sent til skolen.

What does each word in Jeg kommer sent til skolen mean in English?

Jeg means I, kommer translates as come or am coming, sent means late, til translates as to, and skolen is the definite form of skole, meaning the school. Notice that Danish often attaches the article directly to the noun as a suffix.

How is the present action conveyed in this sentence without a separate continuous form like “am coming”?

Danish uses the simple present tense to express both habitual and ongoing actions. In the sentence, kommer is in the present tense, and context tells you whether it means a routine occurrence or an action taking place right now.

Why is the adverb sent placed immediately after the verb kommer?

In Danish, adverbs generally follow the verb they modify. Placing sent after kommer is typical and clearly indicates that the arrival is late.

Why do we see skolen instead of a separate article plus the noun (as in “the school”)?

Danish expresses definiteness by attaching a suffix to the noun. Here, skole becomes skolen to mean the school, so there is no need for a separate word for “the.”

What is the overall word order of the sentence Jeg kommer sent til skolen?

The sentence follows a Subject-Verb-Adverb-Prepositional Phrase order. Jeg is the subject, kommer is the verb, sent acts as an adverb describing the action, and til skolen is a prepositional phrase indicating the destination.

Does the verb kommer change its form when used with different subjects?

No, in Danish the present tense form of verbs like kommer remains the same regardless of the subject. Whether you say jeg kommer (I come) or du kommer (you come), the form does not change.

Why doesn't Danish use an auxiliary verb to form a continuous tense, such as “am coming,” like in English?

Danish does not have a separate continuous tense. Instead, the simple present tense (here, kommer) is used for both ongoing and habitual actions, with the context of the conversation clarifying the intended meaning.