Questions & Answers about Hun genkender mig aldrig.
Why does mig come before aldrig in this sentence?
This is the pronoun shift (pronominalskift) in action! Normally, a central adverb like aldrig (never) comes right after the verb and before the object. But when the object is an unstressed pronoun like mig, it jumps in front of the adverb. If it were a regular noun, the adverb would stay first, like in Hun genkender aldrig manden (She never recognizes the man).
Is it ever grammatically correct to say Hun genkender aldrig mig?
Yes, but only if you want to put heavy emphasis on mig. If you mean 'She never recognizes ME (but she recognizes everyone else)', you keep the normal word order and strongly stress the pronoun when speaking. For a normal, neutral statement, the unstressed pronoun must shift before the adverb.
Would this pronoun shift still happen if this were a subordinate clause?
No, the pronoun shift only happens in main clauses. If you made this a subordinate clause, for example by starting with Jeg ved at (I know that), the word order completely changes. The adverb must go before the verb, and the object stays at the end: Jeg ved, at hun aldrig genkender mig.
How is the verb genkender built?
It is formed by adding the prefix gen- (meaning 're-' or 'again') to the verb kende (to know a person or thing). So literally, it means to 'know again', which translates perfectly to 'recognize'.
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