The circumposition: for ... skyld
When you want to dedicate an action or make a choice "for the sake of" someone or something, Danish uses the phrase for ... skyld.
Because it wraps around the noun it modifies, it is known as a circumposition. Since the expression essentially translates to "for [something's] sake," the noun placed in the middle must take the genitive (possessive) -s ending.
| Despite the fact that he is busy, he works at the shelter for the sake of the street dog. | På trods af at han har travlt, arbejder han på internatet for gadehundens skyld. |
| We adopt dogs for the sake of welfare. | Vi adopterer hunde for velfærdens skyld. |
This rule applies no matter the form of the noun. Whether it is singular or plural, definite or indefinite, simply attach an -s to the end of the noun phrase inside the circumposition.
| She sacrificed everything for the sake of the animals. | Hun ofrede alting for dyrenes skyld. |
| The man sacrificed a lot of money for the sake of animal protection. | Manden ofrede mange penge for dyreværnets skyld. |
If the noun phrase in the middle includes a possessive word (like dens, meaning "its"), the final noun still takes the -s ending.
| Since the dog was sick, it was important to adopt it for the sake of its welfare. | Eftersom hunden var syg, var det vigtigt at adoptere den for dens velfærds skyld. |
Advocating for animals
When discussing animal welfare, you will often talk about shelters (internatet), donations (donationen), and care (omsorgen). Notice how the adjective betydningsfuld (significant, meaningful) is used to describe the importance of these efforts.
| Is the donation very significant for the shelter? | Er donationen meget betydningsfuld for internatet? |
| The care for the street dog is a significant task. | Omsorgen for gadehunden er en betydningsfuld opgave. |