Learn Hardcore Danish: På grund af regnen holder familien sig indenfor og ser film på internettet. - Because of the rain, the family stays inside and watches movies on the internet.

På grund af regnen = because of the (specific) rain
- regnen is definite (the rain that is falling now / we know which rain).
- This is the most natural choice here, because we’re talking about today’s concrete rain.
På grund af regn = because of rain (in general / some rain)
- regn without ending is indefinite and can feel more general or abstract.

In everyday speech, Danes very often use the definite form with weather nouns in this kind of construction:

På grund af sneen – because of the snow
På grund af vinden – because of the wind

What exactly does På grund af mean, and how is it used?

På grund af is a fixed multi‑word preposition meaning “because of / due to / on account of.”

Structure:

På grund af + noun / noun phrase
- På grund af regnen – because of the rain
- På grund af trafikken – because of the traffic
- På grund af sygdom – because of illness

Compare with fordi, which is followed by a full clause:

Fordi det regner, bliver familien indenfor.
(Because it is raining, the family stays inside.)

So:

På grund af → followed by a thing / noun
Fordi → followed by a sentence / clause

Why is the verb before the subject in holder familien sig? Shouldn’t it be familien holder sig?

Danish main clauses have a verb‑second word order: the finite verb must come in second position in the sentence, no matter what comes first.

Here, the sentence starts with an adverbial phrase:

På grund af regnen (adverbial – “because of the rain”)
holder (finite verb)
familien (subject)
sig indenfor … (rest)

If you remove the first part, you get:

Familien holder sig indenfor … – now the subject is first, so the verb can come second, and it looks “normal” to an English speaker.

But when you move På grund af regnen to the front, you must invert subject and verb:

På grund af regnen holder familien sig indenfor …

This kind of inversion is very regular in Danish.

What does holder sig literally mean, and why is sig needed?

The verb is at holde sig, which as a reflexive verb often means “to stay / to keep (oneself)” in some state or place.

Familien holder sig indenfor.
= The family stays inside.

Literally, you could think of it as “the family keeps itself inside,” but in real usage it’s just a natural way to say “stay.”

The sig is a reflexive pronoun (himself/herself/itself/themselves), and it’s required with many reflexive verbs:

at lægge sig – to lie down (to lay oneself down)
at sætte sig – to sit down
at vaske sig – to wash oneself
at holde sig varm – to keep oneself warm

Without sig, holde means simply “hold/keep” in a non‑reflexive sense:

Han holder koppen. – He is holding the cup.
De holder døren åben. – They keep the door open.

So in this sentence you need holder sig to get the meaning “stay.”

What is the difference between indenfor and inde? Could I say Familien holder sig inde?

Both inde and indenfor can translate as “inside / indoors,” and in this sentence both are possible:

Familien holder sig indenfor.
Familien holder sig inde.

Nuance (which is quite subtle and often ignored in everyday use):

inde usually describes a state of being inside:
- Familien er inde. – The family is inside.
indenfor can have a slightly stronger sense of “within the boundaries / on the inside of something”, especially relative to some border or door:
- Kom indenfor! – Come inside (come in through the door).

In casual spoken Danish, many people use inde and indenfor almost interchangeably in contexts like this.

Why is it ser film and not ser en film or ser filmen?

In Danish, film can be used like a mass noun to talk about watching movies in general, without specifying a particular one.

ser film = watches movies / is watching films (in general)

If you say:

ser en film – watches a (single, unspecified) movie
ser filmen – watches the movie (a specific one already known in context)

In English you need an article (a movie), but in Danish it’s very natural to drop it in this “general activity” meaning:

Jeg ser ofte film om aftenen. – I often watch movies in the evening.
Vi hører musik. – We listen to music.
Hun læser bøger. – She reads books (in general, as a hobby).

So ser film fits the idea that the family is watching movies as an activity, not just one specific film.

Why is the verb ser (sees) used for “watching” a film? Isn’t that just “see”?

The verb at se covers both “to see” and “to watch” in Danish, depending on context.

at se = to see / to watch
- Jeg ser en film. – I’m watching a movie.
- Jeg ser dig. – I see you.
- Skal vi se tv? – Shall we watch TV?

So ser film is perfectly normal Danish for “watches movies.” There isn’t a separate everyday verb that corresponds exactly to English “to watch” for films and TV.

Why is it på internettet and not i internettet?

This is about preposition usage:

In Danish, just like in English, you say “on the internet”:
- på internettet = on the internet

Using i internettet (in the internet) is not idiomatic.

More examples:

på nettet – on the net
på Facebook – on Facebook
på YouTube – on YouTube

So when talking about using the internet as a medium or platform, Danish consistently uses på.

Why is internettet in the definite form (with -et)?

Internet is treated like a specific, unique thing (like “the internet”) in Danish, so it usually appears in the definite form:

internettet – the internet
- på internettet – on the internet
- Bruger du internettet meget? – Do you use the internet a lot?

Grammatically:

basic form: et internet (neuter noun)
definite singular: internettet (et → -et ending)

You will see the indefinite form too in some contexts, but for the everyday, global thing we all use, internettet is standard.

How does the og (“and”) connect the two actions in this sentence?

The og links two actions that share the same subject:

holder familien sig indenfor
(familien) ser film på internettet

Danish doesn’t repeat the subject when two verbs share it, just like English:

The family stays inside and watches movies on the internet.

Word order pattern:

Fronted adverbial: På grund af regnen
Verb: holder
Subject: familien
Rest of first predicate: sig indenfor
Conjunction: og
Second verb (same subject understood): ser
Objects/adverbials: film på internettet

Each finite verb in a main clause still respects the general verb‑second rule in its own clause; here the second clause is reduced (no repeated subject) but the structure is straightforward and very natural.

Why is it regnen and not regn in terms of grammar and gender?

The noun regn (rain) is a common gender (n‑word) noun in Danish.

Indefinite singular: regn – rain
Definite singular: regnen – the rain

Here it’s in the definite form because we are referring to the particular rain that is happening:

På grund af regnen – because of the rain (we’re experiencing now)

Other common‑gender weather nouns behave similarly:

vinden / vinden – wind / the wind
sne / sneen – snow / the snow

How is regnen pronounced? Is the g silent?

Yes, the g in regnen is not pronounced as a clear [g].

A simple approximation:

regnen ≈ “rane-en” or “rane-n” in English spelling.

More precisely (approximate):

regn has a sound like “rajn” with a silent-ish g and a kind of nasal /n/ effect.
regnen adds the definite ending -en, so you get something like “RAJN-en”, but Danes often smooth the cluster so it sounds close to two syllables: [ˈʁɑjnən].

Key points:

Don’t say a hard “reg‑nen.”
Aim for something like “rahn-en / rajn-en,” with a soft, blended middle.

Could I say the same thing using bliver instead of holder sig?

Yes, you could say:

På grund af regnen bliver familien indenfor og ser film på internettet.

Here bliver means “stays / remains”.

Nuance:

holder sig indenfor – literally “keeps itself inside”; can sound a bit more intentional (they are making sure to stay inside).
bliver indenfor – more neutral “remains inside / stays inside.”

Both are perfectly natural; the original with holder sig is just one idiomatic option.