Himlen er grå i dag.

to be

Breakdown of Himlen er grå i dag.

• himlen: the sky
• i dag: today
• grå: gray

Questions & Answers about Himlen er grå i dag.

Why does himlen end in -en?

Because himlen is the definite singular form of himmel, meaning sky.

• himmel = sky
• himlen = the sky

In Danish, the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun as a suffix.
So instead of a separate word like the, Danish often uses -en, -et, or -ne.

Also, with nouns like himmel, the spelling changes a little when the ending is added, so himmel + en becomes himlen, not himmelen in normal standard usage.

Why isn’t there a separate word for the?

Because Danish usually puts the onto the noun itself.

So:

• en himmel = a sky
• himlen = the sky

This is a very common feature of Danish nouns. English uses a separate article before the noun, but Danish often uses a suffix instead.

What form is er?

Er is the present tense of at være, which means to be.

So:

• jeg er = I am
• du er = you are
• han er = he is
• vi er = we are

Unlike English, Danish does not change the present form depending on the subject. It stays er for everyone.