Breakdown of De er i gang med at kigge på afgangstavlen.
være
to be
de
they
at
to
på
on / at / in (a language) / of (after nouns like end or start)
med
with; by (bus, train) / of, to (the meaning or point of something)
kigge
to look
i gang
in progress, underway (busy with + doing)
afgangstavlen
the departure board
Questions & Answers about De er i gang med at kigge på afgangstavlen.
Why use er i gang med at instead of just saying De kigger?
Danish doesn't have an '-ing' ending to show an action is happening right now. While De kigger can mean 'They are looking', using the expression er i gang med at strongly emphasizes that they are currently in the middle of doing it.
Can I leave out the word at before kigge?
No, you need at here because it is the infinitive marker (meaning 'to'). The fixed phrase være i gang med must always be followed by at plus the infinitive form of the verb.
Why do we use the preposition på in this sentence?
The verb kigge (to look) naturally pairs with the preposition på when you are looking at a specific thing. Together, kigge på is the standard way to translate 'look at'.
How is the compound noun afgangstavlen built?
It is made of afgang (departure) and tavlen (the board). Notice the extra s linking the two words together. This connecting -s- is a very common rule when combining Danish nouns.
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