Expressing Alternatives: "hvad enten ... eller"
To state that something will happen regardless of two possibilities, use the conjunction hvad enten ... eller (whether ... or).
| She drives the tractor whether it is new or old. | Hun kører traktoren hvad enten den er ny eller gammel. |
Word Order
Because hvad enten ... eller introduces a subordinate clause, placing it at the beginning of a sentence triggers the V2 (verb-second) rule. The main clause that immediately follows must invert its subject and verb.
| Whether it rains or the sun shines, the farmer ploughs the field by himself. | Hvad enten det regner eller solen skinner, pløjer landmanden marken for sig selv. |
Notice how the verb pløjer (ploughs) comes right before the subject landmanden (the farmer).
Life on the Farm
This structure is especially useful for describing chores that must be done regardless of the conditions, the weather, or the time of day.
| The woman is milking the cow in the stable whether it is cold or warm. | Kvinden står og malker koen i stalden hvad enten det er koldt eller varmt. |
| We have to harvest the crop whether the harvest is good or bad. | Vi er nødt til at høste afgrøden hvad enten høsten er god eller dårlig. |
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