Jeg parkerer bilen foran huset.

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Breakdown of Jeg parkerer bilen foran huset.

• huset: the house
• foran: in front of
• bilen: the car

Questions & Answers about Jeg parkerer bilen foran huset.

Why is it bilen and not just bil?

Because bilen is the definite form: the car.

In Danish, the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun instead of appearing as a separate word before it.

• en bil = a car
• bilen = the car

So in this sentence, bilen means the car.

Why is it huset and not huset with a separate word for the?

For the same reason as bilen: Danish normally attaches the to the noun.

• et hus = a house
• huset = the house

Here, hus is a neuter noun, so its indefinite article is et, and its definite ending is -et.

How do I know whether to use en or et with a noun?

You usually have to learn the gender of each noun when you learn the word.

Danish has two grammatical genders:

• common gender → usually takes en
• neuter gender → takes et

In this sentence:

• bil is common gender → en bil, bilen
• hus is neuter → et hus, huset

There is no completely reliable shortcut, so it is best to memorize nouns together with their article.