Breakdown of Hvad laver du om dagen?
du
you
hvad
what
lave
to make; to do (an activity)
om
in, at (with times of day)
dagen
the day
Questions & Answers about Hvad laver du om dagen?
Why is the word laver used for 'do' instead of gør?
In Danish, laver (from at lave, meaning to make or do) is used when asking about everyday activities or what someone is currently engaged in. Gør is used for more abstract actions. So, 'What are you doing?' is almost always Hvad laver du?
Doesn't om usually mean 'about'? Why does it mean 'during' here?
Prepositions rarely translate perfectly word-for-word! While om often means 'about', when it is used with a time of day in its definite form (like dagen, meaning 'the day'), it translates to 'during the' or 'in the'. Another common example is om natten (during the night).
Where is the word for 'the' in om dagen?
In Danish, the word for 'the' is usually added to the end of the noun rather than being a separate word in front of it. The base word is dag (day), and adding -en to the end makes it dagen (the day).
Does this sentence ask about my job or just my daily routine?
With om dagen added, it asks about your general daily routine or how you spend your days. However, if someone just asks Hvad laver du?, it is the most common way to ask 'What do you do for a living?' or 'What are you doing right now?' depending on the situation.
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