Laying down the law with "have at"
When you need to give an uncompromising command, Danish uses the construction have at followed by an infinitive verb. It translates roughly to "absolutely must" and carries a much stricter, more authoritative tone than simply using the modal verb skal (must). It is perfect for a demanding choir conductor expecting musical perfection.
| The soprano absolutely must hit the note without slacking. | Sopranen har at ramme tonen uden at sløse. |
| You absolutely must sing the melody, and the alto absolutely must listen. | I har at synge melodien, og alten har at lytte. |
| You absolutely must read the note to understand the harmony. | Du har at læse noden for at forstå harmonien. |
Adding "bare" for warnings
To make the obligation even stronger—equivalent to the English warning "had better"—insert the adverb bare directly after the conjugated verb: have bare at. This sounds like a threat and leaves absolutely no room for argument or negotiation.
| You'd better keep quiet and look at the note! | Du har bare at tie og kigge på noden! |
| The tenor had better follow the beat today. | Tenoren har bare at følge takten i dag. |
| The soprano and the alto had better keep quiet now! | Sopranen og alten har bare at tie nu! |
| She'd better stop slacking! | Hun har bare at stoppe med at sløse! |
Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io