Breakdown of Kunne du bede hende om tjenesten?
du
you
hende
her
kunne
to be able to / can
om
about (concerning)
bede
to ask (for)
tjenesten
the favor
Questions & Answers about Kunne du bede hende om tjenesten?
Why is Kunne in the past tense here? Are we talking about the past?
No, we are talking about right now. Just like in English, using the past tense of a modal verb makes a request more polite. Saying Kan du (Can you) is direct, while Kunne du (Could you) softens the request and makes it much more polite.
Why do we use bede instead of spørge for the word ask?
In Danish, spørge is strictly used when you are asking a question to get information or an answer. When you are asking someone to do something for you or asking for an object, you must use bede.
What is the role of om in this sentence?
The verb bede pairs with the preposition om when you specify what you are asking for. The fixed structure is bede nogen om noget (to ask someone for something). Without om, the sentence would be grammatically incomplete.
Does tjenesten always translate exactly to the favor?
Not always. The base word en tjeneste can mean a favor, but it also translates to a service or even a shift at work. In this context, asking a person for it makes the favor the most natural translation. The -n at the end is the definite article, making it the favor.
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