Concessive degree clauses express that an outcome stays the same regardless of a situation's intensity (like fighting stubborn household pests). In English, these usually translate to "However [much]..." or "No matter how...".
Word Order
To form these clauses in Danish, use this specific word order:
- hvor
- adjective/adverb + subject + end
- verb
- adjective/adverb + subject + end
Notice how end acts as a sentence adverbial, sitting directly between the subject and the verb.
| However much we spray, the pest keeps surviving. | Hvor meget vi end sprøjter, bliver skadedyret ved med at overleve. |
| However expensive the poison is, it cannot combat the pest. | Hvor dyr giften end er, kan den ikke bekæmpe skadedyret. |
Main Clause Inversion
The hvor... end phrase is a subordinate clause. When it occupies the first position in a sentence, the main clause that follows must obey the V2 (verb-second) rule, starting immediately with its verb.
Notice how the main clauses below begin with verbs (myldrer, bliver):
| However clean it is here, the ants swarm in the kitchen. | Hvor rent her end er, myldrer myrerne i køkkenet. |
| However many we kill, the ants keep multiplying. | Hvor mange vi end dræber, bliver myrerne ved med at formere sig. |
Adjectives and Quantities
This structure works identically whether you use descriptive adjectives (like effektiv or stædig) or quantities (like mange or meget).
| However effective the trap is, the moth always avoids it. | Hvor effektiv fælden end er, undgår møllet den altid. |
| However stubborn we are, it is hard to combat the moth. | Hvor stædige vi end er, er det svært at bekæmpe møllet. |
| However much the man tries, neither the trap nor the poison works. | Hvor meget manden end forsøger, virker hverken fælden eller giften. |
