Jeg står ved døren.

I stand at the door.

Breakdown of Jeg står ved døren.

• jeg: I
• stå: to stand
• døren: the door
• ved: at

Questions & Answers about Jeg står ved døren.

What does Jeg mean in the sentence?

Jeg is the Danish first-person singular pronoun, equivalent to I in English.

What does står signify, and how is it used in forming the present tense?

Står is the present tense form of the verb at stå, which means to stand. In Danish, the present tense is formed without an auxiliary verb, so Jeg står translates directly to I stand or I am standing.

How is definiteness expressed in the noun døren, and what does it indicate?

Definiteness in Danish is often indicated by adding a suffix to a noun. In this case, dør (meaning door) acquires the suffix -en to become døren, meaning the door. There isn’t a separate article word as in English; the definite article is merged with the noun.

What role does the preposition ved play in this sentence?

Ved functions as a locative preposition and generally translates to by or next to in English. In this sentence, it tells us that the speaker is standing close to or beside the door.

Are there any notable structural differences between this Danish sentence and its English counterpart?

Yes, a few differences stand out. For one, Danish indicates definiteness by attaching a suffix to the noun (e.g., døren versus the door), rather than using a separate article. Additionally, Danish uses the present tense form directly without auxiliary verbs (as seen with står), which contrasts with English’s use of am standing.