Questions & Answers about Bukserne er for stramme.
I know for as a preposition meaning 'for'. How does it mean 'too' here?
When for is placed directly in front of an adjective like stramme (tight), it acts as an adverb meaning 'too' or 'excessively'. You can tell them apart by looking at what follows: if it is an adjective, for almost always means 'too'.
Why is there an -e at the end of stramme?
In Danish, adjectives must match the noun they describe. Because bukserne (the trousers) is a plural noun, the base adjective stram (tight) must take the plural ending -e, becoming stramme.
How do we get bukserne from the base word for trousers?
The base word is bukser (trousers). Just like in English, this word is treated as a plural noun. To say 'the trousers', you add the definite plural ending -ne to get bukserne.
Is for pronounced differently when it means 'too'?
Yes! When for means 'too' (as in this sentence), it is stressed in speech. When it is used as the normal preposition 'for', it is usually unstressed. So you will hear a much stronger emphasis on for here.