Breakdown of Han er overrasket over at ledelsen er så dårlig.
være
to be
han
he
dårlig
bad
at
that
så
then, so
over
about (after 'to wonder')
overrasket
surprised
ledelsen
the management
Questions & Answers about Han er overrasket over at ledelsen er så dårlig.
Why do we need over before at here when English just says 'surprised that'?
In Danish, certain adjectives and verbs are strictly linked to a specific preposition. Overrasket pairs with over (surprised about/at). When connecting this to a new clause starting with at (that), Danish keeps the preposition, giving us overrasket over at. English usually drops the preposition in these cases, but in Danish it is required.
What is the base form of ledelsen, and why does it end in -n?
The base word is en ledelse (a management or leadership). Because we are talking about a specific management ('the management'), we add the definite ending. For an en-word that already ends in an -e, we just add -n, making it ledelsen.
Why doesn't dårlig have an ending like -t or -e here?
Dårlig (bad) describes ledelsen. Because en ledelse is a singular common gender word (an en-word), the adjective stays in its basic form. You would only add a -t for an et-word, or an -e for plurals or after a freestanding definite article.
What would happen to the word order if we wanted to say the management is not so bad?
Because at ledelsen er så dårlig is a subordinate clause, a central adverb like ikke (not) must be placed between the subject and the verb. So it would become: overrasket over at ledelsen ikke er så dårlig.
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