Breakdown of Hun er i gang med at male væggen.
være
to be
hun
she
at
to
væggen
the wall
med
with; by (bus, train) / of, to (the meaning or point of something)
male
to paint
i gang
in progress, underway (busy with + doing)
Questions & Answers about Hun er i gang med at male væggen.
What is the difference between Hun er i gang med at male and just Hun maler?
Danish doesn't have a direct equivalent to the English "-ing" verb form. While Hun maler can mean both "She paints" and "She is painting", using the phrase er i gang med at (literally "is in motion with to") strongly emphasizes the ongoing aspect. It tells us she is actively in the middle of the task right now.
Why do we use male instead of the present tense maler here?
Because of the word at (to). The fixed expression være i gang med is followed by at plus the infinitive (dictionary) form of the verb, which is male.
Is it possible to drop the word med in this phrase?
No, med (with) is completely necessary here. To say you are in the middle of doing something, the complete fixed phrase must always be være i gang med at.
Why does væggen have a double "g" when the basic word for wall is væg?
This is a common Danish spelling rule. When a short noun has a short vowel followed by a single consonant, you double that final consonant when adding the definite ending (-en or -et). This doubling ensures the vowel keeps its short sound, turning væg into væggen.
Learn Hun er i gang med at male væggen and more in Danish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free