Den første spire kom op af jorden i går, og i dag er der allerede en anden spire ved siden af.

Because the first noun phrase is definite, while the second is indefinite.

• den første spire = the first sprout
• en anden spire = another sprout / a second sprout

In Danish, den is the common-gender definite article, and en is the common-gender indefinite article.

Here, den første spire refers to a specific sprout already identified in the situation: the first one.
But en anden spire introduces a new one, so Danish uses the indefinite article.

Spire is an en-word: en spire.

That is why you get:

• en spire
• den første spire
• en anden spire

If it were an et-word, you would expect et and det instead.

Useful forms:

• indefinite singular: en spire
• definite singular: spiren
• plural: spirer
• definite plural: spirerne

Because kom is the simple past, and with a finished time expression like i går meaning yesterday, Danish normally prefers the simple past.

So:

• kom op i går = came up yesterday

This is more natural here than er kommet op, because the action is tied to a specific past time.

A helpful rule of thumb:

• specific past time like i går, sidste uge, for to dage siden → often simple past
• unspecified past with present relevance → often present perfect

Here kom op means came up or sprouted up.

The verb is komme op, which is a verb plus a particle:

• infinitive: at komme op
• past tense: kom op

So Den første spire kom op means the sprout emerged upward.

This is very common in Danish: a verb and a small word such as op, ud, ned, tilbage often belong together in meaning.

Because op af expresses movement out of something, not just from it.

• op af jorden = up out of the ground

That fits the image of a sprout emerging from inside the soil.

Fra jorden would sound more like from the ground as a source, but it does not capture the same sense of pushing up out of it as clearly.

Also, jorden is the definite form of jord, so literally it is the ground/earth/soil.

Because these are fixed Danish time expressions:

• i går = yesterday
• i dag = today
• i morgen = tomorrow

The i is just part of the standard expression. You should learn them as whole units rather than translating word by word.

Even though i often means in, here the full expressions simply function as time adverbials.

This is the Danish existential construction, like English there is/there are.

• der er en anden spire = there is another sprout

In the sentence, i dag is placed first for time emphasis. Danish main clauses follow the verb-second rule, so once i dag is put first, the finite verb must come next:

• I dag er der allerede en anden spire ...

Not:

• I dag der er ...

So:

• der er = there is
• i dag er der = today there is

It can suggest either, depending on context.

In this sentence, en anden spire most naturally means another sprout, but because we already heard about the first sprout, the listener will also understand that this is effectively a second one.

So the nuance is:

• anden = another / second, depending on context

If you want to be very explicitly numerical, Danish can also use den anden in certain contexts, but here en anden spire is the natural way to say another sprout.

Allerede means already.

Its placement is natural in this kind of clause:

• I dag er der allerede en anden spire ...

It comes after er der and before the noun phrase it modifies in meaning.

Danish word order for adverbs can feel different from English, but this placement is very normal. It gives the sense:

• Today, there is already another sprout ...

If you moved allerede, the sentence might still be understandable, but this version is the most neutral and natural.

Ved siden af means beside or next to.

It is a fixed expression, so the af belongs with it. You should learn ved siden af as one unit.

In this sentence, it stands on its own because the thing it is next to is understood from context. The meaning is basically:

• ved siden af = beside it / next to it

If you wanted to say the object explicitly, you could say something like:

• ved siden af den første spire
• ved siden af den

So the sentence leaves the reference unspoken because it is already obvious.

Yes, it could, if the context is clear.

For example:

• I dag er der allerede en anden ved siden af.

That would mean Today there is already another one next to it.

However, repeating spire is very natural and often clearer, especially in a descriptive sentence like this one. Danish does not avoid repetition as strongly as learners sometimes expect.

So both are possible, but:

• en anden spire = clearer
• en anden = fine when the noun is obvious

Because Danish main clauses follow the verb-second rule.

First clause:

• Den første spire kom op af jorden i går
• Subject first, then verb

Second clause:

• i dag er der allerede en anden spire ved siden af
• The time phrase i dag is moved to the front
• Therefore the finite verb er must come second

So Danish is not just following English word order. The position of the first element affects the rest of the clause.

That is why:

• Den første spire kom ... but
• I dag er der ...

Both are normal Danish word order.