Børnene løber rundt om træet i haven.

The children run around the tree in the garden.

Breakdown of Børnene løber rundt om træet i haven.

• i: in
• haven: the garden
• træet: the tree
• løbe: to run

Questions & Answers about Børnene løber rundt om træet i haven.

Why does børnene mean the children?

Because Danish usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun.

• barn = child
• børn = children
• børnene = the children

Two things are happening here:

1. barn has an irregular plural: børn
2. the definite plural ending is added: -ene

So børnene is not a separate word for the plus children; it is one word meaning the children.

Why isn’t it de børn?

In ordinary Danish, if there is no adjective, the most natural way to say the children is børnene.

• børnene = the children

You often use de when:

• there is an adjective: de små børn = the small children
• you mean those children: de børn derovre = those children over there
• the context especially calls for that structure

So in this sentence, børnene is the normal choice.

Why is løber used for are running?