Jeg holder øje med min søn på legepladsen.

I keep an eye on my son at the playground.

Breakdown of Jeg holder øje med min søn på legepladsen.

• jeg: I
• min: my
• på: at
• sønnen: the son

Questions & Answers about Jeg holder øje med min søn på legepladsen.

Is holder øje med a fixed expression?

Yes. At holde øje med is a common Danish idiom. It means to keep an eye on, to watch, or to keep track of someone or something.

It should usually be learned as one unit:

• holde øje med nogen = keep an eye on someone
• holde øje med noget = keep an eye on something

So in this sentence, holder øje med works like one verbal expression, not as three separately translated words.

Why is øje singular? Shouldn’t it be plural if you use two eyes?

No. Danish uses the singular in this idiom, just like English often does in keep an eye on.

So:

• holde øje med = correct
• holde øjne med = not correct here

Even though a person literally has two eyes, the expression is fixed in the singular.

Why is there med after øje?

Because med is part of the fixed expression holde øje med.

You cannot normally just say holde øje and then attach the object directly. The person or thing being watched comes after med:

• Jeg holder øje med min søn.
• Hun holder øje med trafikken.

So med is not optional here.