Den voksne hjælper barnet i haven.

in

Breakdown of Den voksne hjælper barnet i haven.

• haven: the garden
• hjælpe: to help
• barnet: the child

Questions & Answers about Den voksne hjælper barnet i haven.

Why is it den voksne and not just voksen?

Because voksen is normally an adjective meaning adult or grown-up, but Danish can also use adjectives as nouns.

So:

• en voksen = an adult
• den voksne = the adult

In this sentence, voksne is not describing another noun like person. It is standing on its own and means the adult.

Why does voksen change to voksne here?

After a definite article like den, adjectives usually take the -e ending.

Compare:

• en voksen = an adult
• den voksne = the adult

So the -e here does not mean plural. It is the normal definite form of the adjective.

Why is it den and not det?

Den is used with common gender words, while det is used with neuter words.

In den voksne, the expression is treated like a common-gender human noun, so Danish uses den.

Very roughly:

• den = common gender singular definite
• det = neuter singular definite

Why is it barnet and not det barn?