Breakdown of Han påstod at rygtet var en løgn.
være
to be
han
he
en
a / an (common)
at
that
påstå
to claim
rygtet
the rumor
løgnen
the lie
Questions & Answers about Han påstod at rygtet var en løgn.
Why is var (was) used instead of er (is) here?
This sentence uses reported speech. Because the main action påstod (claimed) happened in the past, the verb inside the at-clause (that-clause) also shifts to the past tense (var). This sequence of tenses works exactly the same way it does in English!
What is the dictionary form of the verb påstod?
It comes from at påstå (to claim). Notice that it contains the common verb at stå (to stand). Just like stå becomes stod in the past tense, påstå becomes påstod.
Why does the word for rumor end in a -t here (rygtet)?
The base dictionary word is et rygte (a rumor). Because it is a neuter word (an et-word) that already ends in an -e, we simply add -t to the end to mean "the" rumor: rygtet.
Where would I put ikke if he claimed the rumor was not a lie?
You would say: Han påstod at rygtet ikke var en løgn. The second part of the sentence is an at-clause, which follows different word order rules than a main sentence. In these clauses, small adverbs like ikke must come before the verb (var).
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