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Questions & Answers about Maden er ret god.
What does maden mean, and why does it have the ending -en attached?
The word maden comes from mad, which means food. In Danish, definite articles are often added to the noun as a suffix rather than as a separate word. By adding -en, mad becomes definite, translating to the food in English.
What role does the word ret play in this sentence?
Ret is an adverb that modifies the adjective god. It means quite or pretty in English, indicating a moderate intensity. It suggests that the food isn’t just good—it’s reasonably good—without implying extreme excellence.
How does the structure of Maden er ret god compare to typical English sentence structure?
The sentence follows a subject-verb-complement order, much like English. Maden is the subject, er is the verb (meaning is), and ret god is the predicate describing the subject. One key difference, however, is that Danish expresses definiteness by attaching a suffix (as in maden) rather than using a separate word like the.
Does the adjective god need to agree with the noun maden, and is any inflection required?
In Danish, adjectives can require agreement when placed before the noun (for example, in attributive positions), often taking on an ending. However, when adjectives follow a linking verb such as er, they are usually left in their base form. So in Maden er ret god, god remains unchanged.
What is the function of er in this sentence?
Er is the present tense form of the verb at være, which means to be. It acts as a linking verb, connecting the subject maden with its description ret god. Its use here is directly equivalent to the English is in the sentence The food is quite good.
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