Hun tager ukrudtet op, mens jeg vander planterne.

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Breakdown of Hun tager ukrudtet op, mens jeg vander planterne.

• hun: she
• mens: while
• planten: the plant

Questions & Answers about Hun tager ukrudtet op, mens jeg vander planterne.

Why is there no separate word for the in ukrudtet and planterne?

In Danish, the is very often attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word.

• et ukrudt = a weed / weed

• ukrudtet = the weed / the weeds as a mass or collective idea

• en plante = a plant
• planterne = the plants

So in this sentence, Danish expresses definiteness with endings:

• -et in ukrudtet
• -ne in planterne

That is one of the biggest differences from English noun structure.

Why does ukrudtet use -et, but planterne uses -ne?

They show different grammatical forms.

• ukrudtet is definite singular of et ukrudt
• planterne is definite plural of planter

A quick breakdown:

• et ukrudt → ukrudtet
• en plante → planten
• planter → planterne

So:

• -et often marks definite singular for a neuter noun
• -ne marks definite plural

Does ukrudtet mean one weed, or weeds in general?