Hun hviler sig i sofaen, fordi hun er træt efter arbejdet.

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Breakdown of Hun hviler sig i sofaen, fordi hun er træt efter arbejdet.

• hun: she
• fordi: because
• efter: after

Questions & Answers about Hun hviler sig i sofaen, fordi hun er træt efter arbejdet.

Why is it hviler sig instead of just hviler?

In this sentence, hvile sig means to rest / to take a rest. It is a very common reflexive expression in Danish.

Using just hvile can sound different. Hvile on its own often means something more like lie/rest physically on something or appears in more formal/literary uses.

So:

• Hun hviler sig = She is resting
• Bogen hviler på bordet = The book rests on the table

In other words, hvile sig is the natural choice when a person is relaxing or recovering.

What does sig mean here, and why is it sig instead of hende?

Sig is a reflexive pronoun. It refers back to the subject of the clause, here hun.

So Hun hviler sig literally works like She rests herself, although in natural English we just say She is resting.

Why not hende?

• sig = refers back to the subject
• hende = means her as a separate object

Compare:

• Hun hviler sig = She is resting
• Hun ser hende = She sees her

In the second sentence, hende would mean another female person, not the same person as hun.

Why does Danish use i sofaen when English usually says on the sofa?