Breakdown of Apotekeren sagde at hun ikke kunne finde min recept.
hun
she
ikke
not
finde
to find
sige
to say
min
my
kunne
to be able to / can
at
that
recepten
the prescription
apotekeren
the pharmacist
Questions & Answers about Apotekeren sagde at hun ikke kunne finde min recept.
Why is ikke placed before kunne in this sentence?
This is because at hun ikke kunne finde min recept is a subordinate clause (a dependent clause introduced by at). In Danish main clauses, adverbs like ikke come after the first verb. However, in subordinate clauses, the rule changes: the adverb must come before the first verb (kunne).
What is the base word for apotekeren?
The base word is en apoteker (a pharmacist). To make it definite (the pharmacist), you add -en to the end, making it apotekeren. Note that the place they work is et apotek (a pharmacy), which is an et word and becomes apoteket in the definite form.
Why is it min recept and not mit recept?
Possessive pronouns like min (my) must match the gender of the noun they describe. The Danish word for prescription is an en word (en recept), so you use min. If it were an et word, you would use mit.
Why is kunne used here instead of kan?
This sentence uses reported speech. Because the main verb is in the past tense (sagde meaning said), the verb in the following clause shifts to the past tense to match it. So, instead of saying she cannot (kan), it becomes she could not (kunne).
Learn Apotekeren sagde at hun ikke kunne finde min recept 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