Brødet er fladt, men det smager godt.

The bread is flat, but it tastes good.

Breakdown of Brødet er fladt, men det smager godt.

• være: to be
• men: but
• smage: to taste
• godt: good
• det: it
• brødet: the bread
• flad: bland

Questions & Answers about Brødet er fladt, men det smager godt.

Why is it brødet and not brød?

Brød means bread in general (indefinite / uncountable sense). Brødet is the definite form meaning the bread (a specific bread or the bread you’re talking about).
Danish often uses a suffix to mark definiteness:

• et brød = a (piece/loaf of) bread
• brødet = the bread

What does the -et ending tell me about the noun?

The ending -et shows two things: 1) The noun is definite (the …)
2) The noun is common gender vs. neuter: -et is the typical definite ending for neuter nouns.
So brød is a neuter noun: et brød, brødet.

Why is it fladt and not flad?

Adjectives agree with the noun in Danish. Since brødet is neuter singular, the adjective takes a -t ending:

• common gender: brøden er flad (if the noun were common gender)
• neuter: brødet er fladt (actual sentence)
• plural: brødene er flade

Is fladt an adjective or an adverb here?

It’s an adjective. After the verb er (to be), Danish uses an adjective describing the subject: brødet (the bread) er fladt (is flat).

Why do we use det again in men det smager godt? Isn’t the subject already brødet?

Danish often repeats the subject with a pronoun in a new clause, especially after a conjunction like men (but). Here det refers back to brødet:

• Brødet er fladt = The bread is flat
• men det smager godt = but it tastes good
  This is very natural Danish and mirrors English but it tastes good.

Does det always mean it?

No. det can mean:

• it/that (a pronoun referring to something, as here)
• a dummy subject like English it in Det regner (It’s raining)
• part of fixed expressions and emphasis structures
  In this sentence, det = it (referring to brødet).

Why is it smager godt and not smager god?

Because godt here is an adverb modifying the verb smager (tastes). Danish often uses the neuter form -t as an adverb:

• adjective: en god smag = a good taste
• adverb: smager godt = tastes well/good (idiomatic English is tastes good)

Is smager present tense, and what is the infinitive?

Yes, smager is present tense. The infinitive is at smage (to taste).
Typical pattern: infinitive smage → present smager.

What’s the difference between smage and smager af?

• smage focuses on quality: Det smager godt = It tastes good.
• smage af indicates what something tastes like: Det smager af kanel = It tastes of cinnamon / tastes like cinnamon.

Why is there a comma before men?

Danish comma rules vary, but a common guideline is to use a comma between two independent clauses, especially when they have different subjects:

• Brødet er fladt (clause 1)
• men det smager godt (clause 2)
  So the comma is standard and very common here.

Could I drop the comma: Brødet er fladt men det smager godt?

You’ll often see it with the comma, and in standard writing it’s generally preferred/expected because you’re joining two full clauses. Leaving it out can look informal or nonstandard.

How is Brødet pronounced, and what’s going on with ø and d?

• ø is a front rounded vowel (not in English). It’s a bit like the vowel in French deux, but Danish pronunciation has its own quality.
• The d in brød/brødet is typically a soft Danish d (often not a clear English d sound).
  A rough learner-friendly approximation is that brødet sounds like bruh-th with a Danish-style vowel and a very soft consonant, but it’s best learned by listening and repeating.

Could I also say Brødet er flad, men smager godt?

You can sometimes omit the repeated subject in very short coordinated clauses, but with men it usually sounds more natural to keep det: men det smager godt. Keeping det avoids ambiguity and matches common Danish rhythm and style.