Breakdown of Pigen er for spinkel til at bære sådan en tung kasse.
være
to be
en
a / an (common)
pigen
the girl
at
to
kassen
the box
tung
heavy
til
to (preposition) / for (purpose) / at (an event or occasion) / at (good at something)
for
too
bære
to carry / to wear
sådan
such / like that
spinkel
slender
Questions & Answers about Pigen er for spinkel til at bære sådan en tung kasse.
How does the for ... til at structure work here?
This structure expresses an excessive degree and its consequence. The phrase for spinkel (too slender) is the excessive degree, and til at bære (to carry) is the consequence. Notice that Danish requires both the preposition til and the infinitive marker at before the verb.
Could I leave out at and just say til bære?
No, you cannot skip at. Whenever a preposition like til is directly followed by a verb in its dictionary form (the infinitive), Danish grammar requires you to include at. It must always be til at in this specific structure.
Why is the word order sådan en tung kasse?
Just like in English, which says 'such a heavy box', Danish places the word sådan (such) before the indefinite article en (a). This is a very common fixed pattern used to emphasize the degree or nature of an object: sådan + en/et + adjective + noun.
Why does tung not have an -e ending here?
The adjective tung (heavy) describes the box (en kasse), not the girl. Because en kasse is a singular, common gender noun in the indefinite form ('a box'), the adjective takes its basic dictionary form without any endings.
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