Questions & Answers about Min søster arbejdede meget i foråret.
Why do we use 'i' instead of 'til' before 'foråret' here?
The choice of preposition tells us about the relative time. We use i because the sentence is in the past tense (arbejdede). In Danish, i foråret means 'last spring' or 'this spring'. If she were going to work a lot next spring, we would use til instead: til foråret.
Wait, doesn't Danish use an '-s' ending for past seasons, like 'i sommers'?
It does, but only for summer (i sommers) and winter (i vinters). For spring and autumn, you do not add an '-s'. You just use the standard definite form to talk about the past: i foråret and i efteråret.
How can I recognize that 'arbejdede' is in the past tense?
The verb at arbejde (to work) is a regular Group 1 verb. To form the past tense, it adds -ede to the stem, becoming arbejdede. If she were working right now, you would see the present tense arbejder instead.
Does the word 'forår' have a literal meaning?
Yes! It is made of for (fore/before) + år (year). It literally means 'fore-year', which is a helpful trick to remember that it represents the early part of the year.