Breakdown of Sådan et glas er for skrøbeligt til at sende.
være
to be
et
a / an (neuter)
at
to
til
to (preposition) / for (purpose) / at (an event or occasion) / at (good at something)
for
too
glasset
the glass
sende
to send
sådan
such / like that
skrøbelig
fragile
Questions & Answers about Sådan et glas er for skrøbeligt til at sende.
Why do we need til at before sende instead of just at sende?
In Danish, when expressing that something is 'too [adjective] to [verb]', you must use the structure for + adjective + til at + infinitive. The preposition til is strictly required here to link the excessive degree of the adjective to the resulting action.
Why does skrøbeligt end in an -t here?
The adjective is describing et glas, which is a neuter noun (an et-word). Because of this, the base adjective skrøbelig (fragile) must take the neuter -t ending so that it agrees with the noun's gender.
Since glas is an et-word, shouldn't sådan be spelled sådant?
When the word sådan (such) is placed directly before the indefinite article (en or et), it usually stays in its base form sådan for both genders. It generally only takes the -t ending if you drop the article and place it directly next to a neuter noun.
Since the glass is the thing being sent, could I use the passive form sendes instead of sende?
You could, but it is not required. Just like in English ('too fragile to send'), Danish heavily prefers using the active infinitive in this specific for ... til at construction, even when the subject of the sentence is the one receiving the action. Using the active sende sounds the most natural here.
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