Breakdown of Det er nemlig tilfældet.
være
to be
det
that (demonstrative, neuter)
nemlig
exactly (confirming) / namely
tilfældet
the case
Questions & Answers about Det er nemlig tilfældet.
Why is nemlig translated as "exactly" here instead of "namely"?
While nemlig can sometimes mean "namely" when listing specific examples, it is very often used as an evaluative sentence adverb to mean "exactly", "indeed", or "that is right". In this sentence, it is used to strongly confirm something that was just said or suspected.
Is være tilfældet a fixed expression?
Yes. Just like in English where we say "that is the case", Danish uses the verb være (to be) with the definite noun tilfældet (the case). You will often see it used to confirm or deny if something is true, as in Det er ikke tilfældet (That is not the case).
Why is nemlig placed between the verb and the noun?
nemlig is a central sentence adverb, just like ikke (not) or ofte (often). In a standard main clause like this one, these adverbs always go right after the first verb. So the rule is: subject (Det), verb (er), adverb (nemlig), and then the rest of the sentence.
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