Melet ligger spredt på gulvet i køkkenet.

The flour is scattered on the floor in the kitchen.

Breakdown of Melet ligger spredt på gulvet i køkkenet.

• i: in
• på: on
• køkkenet: the kitchen
• gulvet: the floor
• ligge: to lie
• spredt: scattered
• melet: the flour

Questions & Answers about Melet ligger spredt på gulvet i køkkenet.

Why does melet have -et at the end?

Melet is the definite singular form of mel (flour). Danish has a “postposed” definite article: instead of the flour, you often say melet (literally “flour-the”).

• et = an -et noun (neuter) in the definite singular
• indefinite: mel (flour)
• definite: melet (the flour)

---

What part of speech is ligger here, and why use it for flour?

Ligger is the present tense of at ligge (to lie / to be lying / to be situated). Danish commonly uses position verbs (ligge, stå, sidde) where English might just say “is.” With something spread out on a surface, Danish often uses ligge to describe its state/location: Melet ligger ... = “The flour is (lying) …”.

---

Does ligger mean “is located” or “is lying down”? Which nuance should I hear?

Both are possible, but in this sentence it’s mainly a state/location verb: the flour is lying/spread on the floor. It’s not implying the flour is “lying down” in a human sense; it’s the natural Danish way to describe something resting on a surface.

---

Why is spredt placed after ligger? Is it like an adjective or an adverb?

Spredt is the past participle of at sprede (to spread), and here it functions like a predicative adjective describing the subject’s state:

• Melet ligger spredt = “The flour is lying scattered/spread out.”
  This is similar to English “is scattered,” but Danish often combines a position verb + participle/adjective.

---

Could it also be Melet er spredt...? What would change?

Yes, Melet er spredt... is possible and would mean “The flour is spread/scattered…”. Using ligger adds a slightly more physical, spatial feel (emphasizing that it’s lying on the surface), whereas er is more neutral.

---

What is the function of på gulvet? Why the definite form gulvet?

På gulvet means on the floor. Gulvet is the definite singular form of gulv (floor; neuter), so gulvet = “the floor.” Danish frequently uses the definite form in places where English would also use “the,” especially with locations.

---

Why is it i køkkenet and not på køkkenet?

Because you’re inside the kitchen, so Danish uses i (in). På (on) would only be used for being on top of something or in certain fixed expressions (e.g., på arbejde = at work).
So i køkkenet = “in the kitchen.”

---

Why is køkkenet definite as well?

Køkkenet is the definite singular of køkken (kitchen; neuter). In Danish it’s very common to say in the kitchen as i køkkenet, especially when referring to a specific kitchen in context (e.g., in a particular house).

---

Is there a particular word order rule here? Why is it not Melet spredt ligger...?

The normal Danish main-clause order is: subject + finite verb + ...
So: Melet (subject) + ligger (finite verb) + spredt (complement) + place phrases.
Putting spredt before ligger would be unidiomatic in a neutral statement.

---

Is spredt på gulvet one unit, or are they separate pieces?

They function together semantically: spredt describes the state, and på gulvet specifies where that state is visible. You can think of it as: “lying (there) scattered + location on the floor.”

---

Could I say Melet ligger spredt på køkkengulvet instead?

Yes. Køkkengulvet means the kitchen floor (a compound noun: køkken + gulv + definite -et). That’s a very natural alternative:

• Melet ligger spredt på køkkengulvet.

---

How do I pronounce the tricky words: melet, ligger, spredt, gulvet, køkkenet?

Approximate guidance (Danish pronunciation varies by region):

• melet: the second syllable is weak; roughly MEH-ləd
• ligger: hard g is not like English g; roughly LIG-ər with a soft ending
• spredt: final -dt is tricky; often sounds like a t with a “soft” d influence
• gulvet: roughly GUL-vəd (weak final syllable)
• køkkenet: the ø is like the vowel in French deux; roughly KURK-ə-nəd (very approximate)

If you want, I can give IPA for a specific standard (e.g., Copenhagen).

---

Why is there no article like det meaning “the” in front of the nouns?

In Danish, the definite article is usually attached to the noun as an ending:

• mel + -et → melet
• gulv + -et → gulvet
• køkken + -et → køkkenet
  You typically use a separate word like det/den (“that/the”) when there’s an adjective before the noun (e.g., det hvide mel = “the white flour”).

---

If I add an adjective, how does the sentence change?

You generally switch to a separate definite article:

• Det hvide mel ligger spredt på gulvet i køkkenet.
  (“The white flour is lying scattered on the floor in the kitchen.”)
  Here mel is no longer melet because the definiteness is expressed by det
  • adjective ending.

---

Does i køkkenet modify gulvet (“the floor in the kitchen”) or the whole situation?

In practice it does both: it specifies where the floor is and where the flour is. Danish commonly stacks location phrases at the end, and listeners naturally interpret it as: the flour is on the floor, and this is happening in the kitchen.

---

Could the sentence mean the flour is “distributed” (like metaphorically), not physically scattered?

In everyday use, spredt på gulvet strongly implies physically scattered. The combination with på gulvet (“on the floor”) anchors it in a literal, physical scene. Metaphorical spredt is possible in other contexts, but not very plausible here.

---

What tense is the sentence in, and how would I make it past tense?

It’s present tense: ligger.
Past tense of at ligge is lå:

• Melet lå spredt på gulvet i køkkenet.
  = “The flour was lying scattered on the kitchen floor.”