Breakdown of Hun kan både synge og danse.
hun
she
og
and
danse
to dance
synge
to sing
kunne
to be able to / can
både … og
both … and
Questions & Answers about Hun kan både synge og danse.
Why is there no at (to) before synge and danse?
Because they follow the modal verb kan (can). Just like in English, modal verbs in Danish take the dictionary form of the next verb (the infinitive) without using the word at.
Why don't the verbs synge and danse end in -r?
The first verb in the sentence, kan, is already in the present tense. The following verbs, synge and danse, must therefore be in the infinitive (dictionary) form. In Danish, infinitives almost always end in -e, rather than the present tense -r.
How does både... og... work in this sentence?
både... og... is a very common pairing that translates exactly to 'both... and...'. You use these two words together whenever you want to connect two things, like the two actions synge and danse here.
How do I pronounce the 'd' in både?
It is a 'soft d' (blødt d). To an English speaker, it sounds a bit like an 'l' or the 'th' in the English word 'the'. You make this sound by keeping your tongue soft and resting the tip behind your bottom front teeth.
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