Breakdown of Du kan gennemlæse teksten på fyrre sekunder.
du
you
fyrre
forty
kunne
to be able to / can
teksten
the text
på
in (time taken to finish)
sekundet
the second
gennemlæse
to read through
Questions & Answers about Du kan gennemlæse teksten på fyrre sekunder.
Why do we use på here for "in" forty seconds, instead of i?
In Danish, på is used to express how long it takes to completely finish an action. Because reading the text is a bounded task with a clear end, we use på. If you were just reading for a certain amount of time without finishing the text, you would use i (for example, Jeg læste i fyrre sekunder).
Can I split up gennemlæse and say læse teksten gennem instead?
Yes, but with a slight change! Gennemlæse is a compound verb often used in written Danish. In spoken Danish, it is very common to split it into a verb and a prepositional adverb. If you split it, you must add an "i" to the particle, making it læse teksten igennem. Both sentences mean exactly the same thing.
Does the word gennemlæse mean to skim the text or to read it carefully?
It means to read something from start to finish to understand its full contents or to proofread it. It implies reading "through" the entire thing, which pairs perfectly with the time preposition på to emphasize a completed task. If you wanted to say "skim," you would use the verb skimlæse.
Why does sekunder have an -er ending in the plural? Don't neuter words usually stay the same in the plural?
Many short, one-syllable neuter words stay exactly the same in the plural (like et år becoming to år). However, et sekund is a two-syllable word borrowed from Latin, and it acts like a regular Danish noun by adding -er to become sekunder. It's a great exception to keep in mind!
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