Breakdown of Er I afhængige af hinanden på arbejdet?
være
to be
I
you (plural)
på
on / at / in (a language) / of (after nouns like end or start)
af
of
Questions & Answers about Er I afhængige af hinanden på arbejdet?
Why do we use af before hinanden instead of a word for "on"?
In Danish, the adjective afhængig (dependent) is always followed by the preposition af, not på (on). When combined with the reciprocal pronoun hinanden (each other) as the prepositional object, it becomes afhængige af hinanden.
Why does afhængige end in an -e in this sentence?
Because the subject of the sentence is I (you, plural). Adjectives in Danish must agree with the subject, so the singular afhængig gets an -e to become the plural afhængige.
Why does the sentence say på arbejdet (at the work) when the English translation is just "at work"?
Danish often uses the definite form for general locations or concepts of daily routine, like arbejdet (the work) or skolen (the school). So "at work" translates to på arbejdet.
Why is the pronoun I capitalized here?
The Danish pronoun for the plural "you" is always capitalized as I regardless of where it appears in the sentence. This helps differentiate it from the preposition i (in).