Det er et virkeligt problem, hvis døren ikke kan åbnes.

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Breakdown of Det er et virkeligt problem, hvis døren ikke kan åbnes.

• være: to be
• døren: the door
• det: it

Questions & Answers about Det er et virkeligt problem, hvis døren ikke kan åbnes.

What does Det er mean at the beginning of the sentence?

Here Det er works like English It is.

Danish very often uses det er to introduce a general statement or evaluation:

• Det er godt = It is good
• Det er et problem = It is a problem

So in this sentence, det does not point to a specific thing in a very concrete way. It simply introduces the statement: It is a real problem...

Why is it et problem and not en problem?

Because problem is a neuter noun in Danish.

Danish nouns are mainly either:

• common gender: take en
• neuter: take et

So:

• et problem = a problem

This gender also affects the adjective, which is why you get et virkeligt problem.

Why is it virkeligt with -t?

Because virkelig is agreeing with the neuter noun problem.

In Danish, an adjective usually adds -t when it modifies a singular indefinite neuter noun.

So:

• en virkelig udfordring = a real challenge
• et virkeligt problem = a real problem

That -t is there because of et problem.

Does mean or here?