Breakdown of Hvem som helst kan sige hvad som helst.
sige
to say
kunne
to be able to / can
hvem som helst
anyone
hvad som helst
anything
Questions & Answers about Hvem som helst kan sige hvad som helst.
What does som helst literally mean, and how does it create the words for 'anyone' and 'anything'?
Helst is the superlative form of the word gerne (gladly), so it roughly translates to 'preferably' or 'most gladly'. The phrase som helst literally means 'as you prefer'. When you place it after a question word like hvem (who) or hvad (what), it creates the idea of a completely free choice: 'whoever you prefer' (anyone) or 'whatever you prefer' (anything).
Could I just use nogen and noget instead of hvem som helst and hvad som helst in this sentence?
You could grammatically say Nogen kan sige noget, but it completely changes the meaning. In a positive sentence like this one, nogen and noget translate to 'someone' and 'something'. That version would mean 'Someone can say something.' Using hvem som helst and hvad som helst emphasizes an absolute lack of restriction: ANY person can say absolutely ANY thing.
Why isn't the verb sige (to say) in the present tense siger here?
Because it directly follows the modal verb kan (can). Just like in English ('can say', not 'can says'), Danish modal verbs are followed by the infinitive (dictionary) form of the main verb, without the word at (to) in front of it. Therefore, it must be kan sige, never kan siger.
If I wanted to heavily emphasize 'anything', could I move hvad som helst to the start of the sentence?
Yes, you can move the object to the front for emphasis, but you must remember to trigger the V2 rule (the verb must always be the second idea in a main clause). If you put hvad som helst first, the verb kan must come immediately after it, which pushes the subject hvem som helst to the third position: Hvad som helst kan hvem som helst sige.
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