Breakdown of Vi kæmper for at beskytte miljøet.
vi
we
for at
in order to (+ infinitive) / so that (+ clause)
beskytte
to protect
miljøet
the environment
kæmpe
to fight (struggle, battle)
Questions & Answers about Vi kæmper for at beskytte miljøet.
Why do we use for at here instead of just at before beskytte?
In Danish, for at is used to express purpose or intention, meaning "in order to." If you can substitute "in order to" in English ("We fight in order to protect..."), you should generally use for at in Danish.
How does kæmper for connect to this lesson's focus on preposition stranding?
The verb here is at kæmpe for (to fight for). If you change this into a relative clause and drop the final verb—like "The environment we fight for"—the preposition for gets separated from its object and is left "stranded" at the end of the clause: Miljøet, som vi kæmper for. Understanding that for belongs to the verb kæmper is the key to stranding it correctly later on.
How does the definite article work in the word miljøet?
Miljø (environment) is a neuter noun (an et-word). To say "the environment," you take the definite suffix -et and attach it directly to the end of the noun, creating miljøet.
Could we leave out the preposition and just say Vi kæmper at beskytte...?
No, because the preposition for is strongly tied to the verb kæmper to show what you are striving toward. You fight for something (kæmpe for) or against something (kæmpe imod). Without the preposition, the sentence would sound incomplete.
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