Breakdown of Drengen har svært ved at fokusere på matematikken.
drengen
the boy
på
on / at / in (a language) / of (after nouns like end or start)
have svært ved at
to have difficulty
fokusere
to focus
matematikken
the mathematics
Questions & Answers about Drengen har svært ved at fokusere på matematikken.
How exactly does the phrase har svært ved at work here?
This is a fixed Danish expression. It literally translates to 'has difficult by to'. You use har svært ved followed by the infinitive marker at and a verb (here, fokusere) to say that someone finds that specific action difficult to do.
Could I say Drengen er svær til at fokusere instead?
No, that doesn't work in Danish. To describe a person experiencing difficulty, you must use the verb at have (to have), making it har svært ved. If you used er svær (is difficult), it would mean the boy himself is a difficult person to deal with!
Why is there a double 'k' in matematikken?
The base word is matematik. When we add the definite ending -en to make it 'the math', we double the final consonant. If we didn't, Danish pronunciation rules would make the last 'i' sound long. Doubling the 'k' keeps that vowel sound short.
Why do we use på after fokusere?
Just like in English where we 'focus on' something, Danish uses the preposition på (on) after fokusere to show exactly what the attention is directed towards.
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