Biblioteket ligger tæt på universitetet.

to be located

Breakdown of Biblioteket ligger tæt på universitetet.

• biblioteket: the library
• universitetet: the university
• tæt på: close

Questions & Answers about Biblioteket ligger tæt på universitetet.

Why do biblioteket and universitetet end in -et?

In Danish, -et is often the definite ending for neuter nouns. It means the.

So:

• et bibliotek = a library
• biblioteket = the library

And:

• et universitet = a university
• universitetet = the university

Unlike English, Danish usually adds the to the end of the noun instead of putting a separate word in front of it.

Why isn’t there a separate word for the in the sentence?

Because Danish normally uses a suffixed definite article.

English says:

• the library
• the university

Danish usually says:

• biblioteket
• universitetet

So the idea of the is already built into the noun. That is why you do not need a separate word before it here.

What does ligger mean here? Why not just use er?