Word
Udlændingen taler ikke dansk, men han integrerer sig alligevel.
Meaning
The foreigner does not speak Danish, but he integrates anyway.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Udlændingen taler ikke dansk, men han integrerer sig alligevel.
han
he
tale
to speak
dansk
Danish
ikke
not
Questions & Answers about Udlændingen taler ikke dansk, men han integrerer sig alligevel.
How does alligevel work in this sentence, and why is it placed at the end?
alligevel means anyway or nevertheless and shows a surprising contrast to the first part of the sentence. In a main clause, it generally comes after the verb, but because this clause has a reflexive pronoun (sig), the adverb naturally gets pushed to the end of the sentence.
Why do we need the word sig after integrerer?
In Danish, the verb at integrere (to integrate) is used reflexively when talking about a person adapting to a society. It translates literally to he integrates himself, so we must include the third-person reflexive pronoun sig.
Why isn't the word order inverted in the second clause?
The word men (but) is a coordinating conjunction. It links two independent main clauses together without changing the word order. Because of this, the second clause keeps the standard straight word order: subject (han) followed by the verb (integrerer).
How is the word udlændingen formed?
It is the definite singular form of the common-gender noun en udlænding (a foreigner). To say the foreigner, you simply add the definite suffix -en to the end of the base word.