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Isen på havet er glat, så jeg bliver hjemme.

Isen på havet er glat, så jeg bliver hjemme.
The ice on the sea is slippery, so I stay at home.

Breakdown of Isen på havet er glat, så jeg bliver hjemme.

jeg
I
være
to be
på
on
så
so
havet
the sea
glat
slippery
blive
to stay
hjemme
at home
isen
the ice
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Questions & Answers about Isen på havet er glat, så jeg bliver hjemme.

Why is it Isen and not is?

Danish often marks definiteness with a suffix on the noun.

  • is = ice (indefinite)
  • isen = the ice (definite; -en is the “the” ending for common-gender nouns)

So Isen på havet is literally “the ice on the sea.”

Why is Isen capitalized?

In Danish, only the first word of a sentence and proper nouns are capitalized (unlike German). Isen is capitalized here simply because it starts the sentence.

What does på havet mean grammatically, and why is it på?

på havet is a prepositional phrase meaning “on the sea.” Danish commonly uses på for something lying on a surface (ice resting on the water surface).
You’ll also see related choices depending on meaning, e.g.:

  • i havet = in the sea (inside the water)
  • på havet = on the sea (on the surface / out at sea)
Why is it havet and not hav?

Same definiteness idea as isen:

  • hav = sea (indefinite)
  • havet = the sea (definite; -et is the “the” ending for neuter nouns)

So på havet = “on the sea.”

Why does the adjective look like glat—does it need an ending?

In Danish, predicate adjectives (after er, “is/are”) usually appear in the base form:

  • Isen … er glat = “The ice is slippery.”

You’d add endings mainly in attributive position or for neuter/plural, e.g.:

  • en glat vej = a slippery road (common gender, no ending)
  • et glat gulv = a slippery floor (neuter; still often glat, but some adjectives take -t—this one already ends in -t)
  • glatte veje = slippery roads (plural -e)
What’s the role of så here?

Here så means “so” (cause → result), linking two main clauses:

  • “The ice is slippery, so I stay home.”

It’s functioning like a coordinating conjunction introducing a consequence.

Why is the word order after så not inverted (why not så bliver jeg hjemme)?

Because så can be used in two different ways:

1) Conjunction (“so/therefore”) → normal main-clause word order (subject before verb):

  • …, så jeg bliver hjemme.

2) Sentence adverb meaning “then” → typically triggers inversion (verb before subject):

  • …, så bliver jeg hjemme. = “..., then I stay home.”

Both exist; your sentence uses the “so/therefore” conjunction pattern.

Why is there a comma before så?

It separates two independent clauses:

  • Isen på havet er glat (clause 1)
  • så jeg bliver hjemme (clause 2)

In Danish writing, it’s very common to put a comma before a conjunction when it joins two full clauses like this.

What does bliver mean here—doesn’t it mean “become”?

bliver is the present tense of at blive, which can mean:

  • “to become” (change of state), and also
  • “to stay / remain” in certain fixed patterns

at blive hjemme is an idiomatic use meaning “to stay home.”

Why use bliver hjemme instead of er hjemme?

They differ in meaning:

  • jeg er hjemme = “I am at home” (describes where you are now)
  • jeg bliver hjemme = “I’m staying home” (decision/choice to remain at home instead of going out)

Your sentence expresses a decision caused by the slippery ice.

What’s the difference between hjem, hjemme, and hjemad?

Common distinction:

  • hjem = home (direction/goal: “(to) home”)
  • hjemme = at home (location/state)
  • hjemad = homewards (direction “towards home”)

So:

  • Jeg går hjem. = I go home.
  • Jeg er hjemme. = I am at home.
  • Jeg bliver hjemme. = I stay home.
How would a more “compact” Danish version sound (like “sea ice”)?

Danish often uses compounds. Instead of isen på havet, you could say:

  • Havisen er glat, så jeg bliver hjemme.

hav-is = sea ice, and the definite form would be havisen (“the sea ice”).