Breakdown of Redaktøren retter det første kapitel så snart at det er færdigt.
være
to be
det
it (neuter)
første
first
færdig
finished
Questions & Answers about Redaktøren retter det første kapitel så snart at det er færdigt.
Why is there an at in så snart at? Can I just say så snart?
Yes, you can! In modern Danish, both så snart and så snart at mean "as soon as". The at is optional here. Including at is very common in everyday speech, while dropping it is often preferred in formal writing.
Why is it det første kapitel instead of den første kapitel?
The word for "chapter" is an et word (et kapitel). When adding a standalone definite article like "the" along with an adjective ("first"), you must use the neuter article det to match the noun's gender.
Does the word færdigt end in a "t" because of kapitel too?
Exactly! The pronoun det in det er færdigt refers back to the neuter word kapitel. Because of this, the adjective færdig (finished) must take the neuter -t ending to become færdigt.
I've seen retter used to mean "dishes" of food. How do I know it means "corrects" here?
It comes down to its position in the sentence. Redaktøren (The editor) is the subject, so the word immediately following it needs to be the main verb. Here, retter is the present tense of the verb at rette (to correct or edit). As a plural noun, retter can indeed mean "dishes" or "rights", but a noun doesn't fit grammatically in this spot.