Breakdown of Jeg var lige ved at vælte vasen fordi jeg er så klodset.
jeg
I
være
to be
vasen
the vase
fordi
because
så
then, so
lige
just, right (now, here)
være ved at
to be about to (nearly)
vælte
to knock over; to fall over, to tip over
klodset
clumsy
Questions & Answers about Jeg var lige ved at vælte vasen fordi jeg er så klodset.
How exactly does the phrase var lige ved at work in this sentence?
The structure være lige ved at followed by an infinitive (like vælte) describes an action that was on the verge of happening or almost happened. Literally it means 'to be just at to', but you should translate it as 'was about to' or 'almost'.
Can vælte mean both 'to fall over' and 'to knock over'?
Yes! Vælte can act as both an intransitive verb (meaning something falls over on its own) and a transitive verb (meaning someone knocks something over). In this sentence, because it is followed by a direct object (vasen), it clearly means 'to knock over'.
Why doesn't the word order change after fordi?
Fordi (because) introduces a subordinate clause. In Danish subordinate clauses, the subject always comes before the verb (here, jeg er). It only looks exactly like main clause word order because there is no central adverb (like ikke or altid). If there were, it would go directly between the subject and the verb, which is the hallmark of a subordinate clause: ...fordi jeg ikke er så klodset.
Why does the adjective klodset end in a 't' when the subject jeg is common gender?
Klodset (clumsy) is an adjective that inherently ends in -et. Adjectives ending in -et do not drop or change this ending for common gender nouns. It stays exactly the same whether it describes an en word or an et word.
Learn Jeg var lige ved at vælte vasen fordi jeg er så klodset and more in Danish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free