Breakdown of Hun forbyder ikke legeaftalen fordi hun ved hvordan man opdrager et barn.
hun
she
et
a / an (neuter)
barnet
the child
ikke
not
vide
to know
fordi
because
man
one, you (people in general)
hvordan
how?
forbyde
to forbid
legeaftalen
the playdate
opdrage
to raise (a child)
Questions & Answers about Hun forbyder ikke legeaftalen fordi hun ved hvordan man opdrager et barn.
Why is opdrager used here instead of a word like hæver or vokser op?
English uses the word 'raise' for both lifting objects and bringing up children. Danish uses at hæve or at løfte for objects, but at opdrage specifically means to bring up or educate a child. Also, be careful not to confuse it with at vokse op, which means 'to grow up' (the process the child goes through, rather than what the parent does).
Why does the Danish sentence use hvordan man opdrager instead of a direct translation of 'how to raise'?
In English, we often use 'how to' followed directly by a verb. Danish rarely does this. Instead, Danish prefers to build a full clause using the general pronoun man (meaning 'one', 'you', or 'people in general'). So the phrase literally translates to 'how one raises'.
Where would ikke go if the second part of the sentence was negative?
The first part is a main clause, so the adverb ikke comes after the verb forbyder. However, the second part starts with fordi (because), making it a subordinate clause. In a subordinate clause, adverbs like ikke must come before the verb. So 'because she doesn't know' would be fordi hun ikke ved.
The current lesson covers the causative verb lade (to let/have someone do something). Could we use it here to express the same meaning?
Yes! Instead of saying 'does not forbid' (forbyder ikke), you could express a similar idea affirmatively using lade: Hun lader legeaftalen finde sted (She lets the playdate take place). When using lade, remember it is always followed by an object and a bare infinitive without the word at.
How does the word legeaftalen break down?
It is a compound noun formed from the verb at lege (to play) and the noun en aftale (an agreement or appointment). Together they mean 'a playdate'. The -n at the end is the definite suffix, changing it from 'a playdate' to 'the playdate'.
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