The Infinitive Preference
When talking about personal ambitions and plans, you will often use two verbs in a sentence. In Danish, if the subject of the main verb is the exact same as the subject of the secondary action, it is highly preferred to use at + [infinitive] instead of starting a new full clause.
Additionally, unlike English which often requires an "-ing" form after prepositions (like "striving for achieving"), Danish allows you to place at and the infinitive directly after a preposition like efter.
| He strives to achieve the goal. | Han stræber efter at opnå målet. |
| He expects to find willpower and discipline. | Han forventer at finde viljestyrke og disciplin. |
Reflexive Verbs with Infinitives
This same rule applies to reflexive verbs, such as forpligte sig til (commit oneself to) or forestille sig (imagine). The reflexive pronoun matches the subject in the main clause, and because the subject hasn't changed for the second part of the sentence, the following action is simply expressed with an at-infinitive.
| I commit to continuing my self-development. | Jeg forpligter mig til at fortsætte min selvudvikling. |
| We imagine achieving our full potential. | Vi forestiller os at opnå vores fulde potentiale. |
Making Promises and Plans
You will see this constraint consistently across many verbs related to self-improvement and goal-setting, such as love (promise), håbe (hope), and planlægge (plan). Because you are talking about your own future actions, the subject remains the same, so the infinitive is always preferred.
| He promises to change his mindset. | Han lover at ændre sin tankegang. |
| They plan to change their mindset. | De planlægger at ændre deres tankegang. |