Questions & Answers about Manden vil slappe af i weekenden.
Why does vil translate to "wants to" instead of "will"?
In Danish, vil is a "false friend". It looks like the English word "will", but it usually means "want" or "want to". It expresses a desire or an intention, which is why "wants to relax" is the correct translation here.
Why is there no word for "to" before slappe af?
Because slappe follows the modal verb vil. In Danish, modal verbs like vil (want to), kan (can), and skal (must) are followed directly by the bare infinitive of the main verb, meaning you drop the word at (to).
What does the word af do in the phrase slappe af?
Slappe af is a fixed phrase that means "relax". By itself, slappe means "to loosen" or "to slacken". Adding af (which often means "off") turns it into the concept of winding down or relaxing.
Why does the Danish sentence use i weekenden to mean "this weekend"?
The phrase i weekenden literally translates to "in the weekend" (notice the definite -en ending tacked onto weekend). This is the standard Danish way to say that something happens "this weekend" or "over the weekend".