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- "Manden spiser sit brød."
27 Comments
you have to memorise. if you speak german, the common gender is usually the same as the german masculine and feminine, and the neuter is the same as its german counterpart.
Not sure, but I think it has to do with ending which the word has when is define with "the". Food - the food Mad -maden
Egg -the egg Æg - æget Except the plular words which just have word"sine".
I don't understand why it's 'Manden spiser sit brod'? both bread and man are N-words right? so how come it isn't sin?
Brod (meaning "sting", like on a bee) is an n-word, however brød (alternative form broed is also accepted) is a t-word
If you want to check the gender of a word, you can use Den Danske Ordbog and type the word into "Søgetekst" and then it will come up with the word. Next to "Bøjning" it has the singular definite suffix, plural and plural definite suffix.
As far as i know it is not possible to upload images through the app. You can, however, use the duo formatting codes to add images to your comments
1045
Choose one of the following: 'sine', 'sit' or 'sin'. Thing is, both 'sine' and 'sit' are correct, since 'brød' is irregular and is exactly the same in singular an plural. Still Duolingo accepts only 'sit', the singular...
If I've eaten more than one bread/piece of bread, I say that I ate "mine brød", whereas if I only ate one or an amount that can't be neatly quantified (like part of a loaf), I say that I ate "mit brød". Same holds true for everyone I know. The word "bread" itself may not have a plural, but sin/sine is still based on whether there is one or more of the item.
Same goes for sheep. Et får (one sheep), to får (two sheep). Manden bar sit får ("the man carried his (one) sheep"). Manden bar sine får ("the man carried his (multiple) sheep").
- 359
It is et brød, hence sit brød, but in this case, the plural should also be accepted, I tried it for fun, but it is marked as wrong. Sine brød, his breads/loaves of breads is correct, too!!!
I am wondering if there is a way in Danish to know if it is his bread (the man's) or the bread from any other guy, or is it just the context as in English?
"Sit/sin/sine" indicate that the subject of the sentence owns the object (so here this is the man's own bread). If it was another man's or boy's bread you use the specific pronoun (in this case "hans") so it would be "Han spiser hans brød"
Difference between sin and sit, "bogeN", "æbleT" You will use "sin" for bogen and "sit" for æblet.
I am honestly super confused and need help. Not even sure what "neuter" and "common gender" is. Someone please explain to me? What makes something neuter and what makes something common gender?
- 359
Neuter, all ‘et’ nouns like et hus, a house
Common gender, all ‘en’ nouns. en skole
It is called common gender bevause it is masculin and feminine ‘together’ in one article. Old norse had three, as do Icelandic, German, and Nynorsk.
"Han spiser hans brød" would suggest that he was eating another man's bread (though a Dane will still know what you mean, and some incorrectly say it like that themselves). "Han spiser sit brød" means that it's his own bread he's eating.
- 359
„Some incorrectly say it like that themselves ...“ Yes, as in almost everyone in Jutland. Apparently they don’t need the distinction, because no one would ever eat another man‘s bread ;.-)
