Breakdown of Forskningen begyndte for mange år siden.
mange
many
året
the year
begynde
to begin
for
for (preposition)
Questions & Answers about Forskningen begyndte for mange år siden.
How exactly does 'for ... siden' translate to 'ago' in this sentence?
In Danish, the concept of 'ago' is expressed using a two-part frame: for and siden. You place the amount of time right in the middle of them. So 'many years ago' becomes for mange år siden (which translates literally as 'for many years since').
Why doesn't the word for years (år) have a plural ending here?
År is a neuter noun, meaning it takes the article et. In Danish, short neuter nouns that end in a consonant usually have the exact same form in the singular and the plural. Therefore, it is et år (one year) and mange år (many years).
Why is it 'forskningen' and not just 'forskning'?
The base noun is en forskning (research). To say 'the research', Danish attaches the definite article to the end of the word, making it forskningen. While English often leaves abstract or uncountable nouns bare (just saying 'research began'), Danish frequently uses the definite form when referring to a specific concept.
What is the dictionary form of the verb 'begyndte'?
The infinitive (dictionary form) is at begynde (to begin). To form the past tense seen in this sentence, Danish adds the ending -te to the root of the word, making it begyndte. This is a very common pattern for regular Danish verbs in the past tense.