Han lægger bogen på sit bord i stuen.

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Breakdown of Han lægger bogen på sit bord i stuen.

• bogen: the book
• på: on
• bordet: the table

Questions & Answers about Han lægger bogen på sit bord i stuen.

What is the difference between lægger and ligger, and why is it lægger here?

Danish distinguishes between:

• at lægge = to lay, to place something (you actively put it somewhere) → transitive verb
  
  • Han lægger bogen på sit bord. – He puts the book on his desk.
• at ligge = to lie, to be lying, to be located (something is already there) → intransitive verb
  
  • Bogen ligger på bordet. – The book is lying on the table.

In your sentence, there is an action of placing the book, so lægger is correct, not ligger.

Why is it bogen and not bog?

Danish usually marks definiteness on the noun itself:

• en bog = a book (indefinite, singular, common gender)
• bogen = the book (definite, singular, common gender)

In the sentence, a specific book is being put on the desk, so bogen (the book) is used. If it were just a book (not specific), it would be:

• Han lægger en bog på sit bord i stuen. – He puts a book on his desk in the living room.

Why do we say sit bord and not hans bord?