Breakdown of Han prøvede at bremse mens kvinden kørte over krydset.
han
he
kvinden
the woman
køre
to drive / to ride (a bike) / to run (of a train or bus service)
prøve
to try
at
to
over
past
mens
while
krydset
the intersection
bremse
to brake
Questions & Answers about Han prøvede at bremse mens kvinden kørte over krydset.
Why do we use over here instead of a preposition like gennem?
In Danish, you typically drive over an intersection (et kryds), similar to how you cross over a street or a bridge. You would only use gennem if you were emphasizing moving through a physical obstacle like a tunnel or a dense forest.
How would the word order change if the woman did not drive across the intersection?
Because mens (while) starts a subordinate clause, a central adverb like ikke (not) must come before the verb. So it would be mens kvinden ikke kørte over krydset. In a regular main clause, ikke would follow the verb instead.
Why is the ending -et used in krydset?
The basic noun is et kryds (an intersection), which is a t-word or neuter noun. To make it definite (the intersection), you attach the -et suffix directly to the end of the word.
Why is bremse in the infinitive form rather than the past tense like prøvede?
The first verb prøvede (tried) is in the past tense and establishes when the action happened. It is followed by the infinitive marker at (to), so the next verb bremse (brake) must stay in its basic infinitive form.
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