Questions & Answers about Han prøver at svømme.
Why do we use at before svømme?
In Danish, at is the infinitive marker, exactly like "to" in the English phrase "to swim". When a sentence has two actions connected like this, the second verb is usually in its base dictionary form, known as the infinitive. We show this by putting at in front of svømme.
How is the infinitive marker at pronounced in spoken Danish?
In natural speech, the infinitive marker at is not pronounced with an "a" sound. Instead, it sounds just like the Danish letter "å" (similar to the "o" or "aw" sound in English). This is a very common pronunciation rule to remember!
If svømme is the infinitive, what is the infinitive form of prøver?
The infinitive form is at prøve (to try). In Danish, you usually make the present tense by simply adding an "-r" to the end of the infinitive. That is why prøve becomes prøver when describing what he is currently doing.
Could this sentence also mean "He is trying to swim"?
Yes! Danish does not have a separate "-ing" tense for actions happening right now. The single present tense word prøver translates perfectly to both "tries" and "is trying" depending on the context.