Breakdown of Er saksen til at åbne pakken?
være
to be
at
to
åbne
to open
til
to (preposition) / for (purpose) / at (an event or occasion) / at (good at something)
Questions & Answers about Er saksen til at åbne pakken?
Why do we use til at åbne to mean 'for opening'?
When expressing the utility or purpose of an object in Danish, you use the preposition til followed by the infinitive marker at and the verb in its infinitive form. English often uses 'for' plus an -ing word (for opening), but Danish requires this til at structure with the dictionary form of the verb.
Why does the Danish sentence use the singular saksen for 'the scissors'?
Unlike English, which treats 'scissors' as a plural noun, Danish treats en saks as a single object. That is why it takes the singular definite ending -en and is paired with the singular verb er.
Can I leave out the word at and just say til åbne?
No, because åbne is a verb. After a preposition like til, if you want to attach a verb to show its function, you must include the infinitive marker at. Without at, the sentence is grammatically incorrect.
How is the phrase til at åbne pronounced in everyday spoken Danish?
The infinitive marker at is almost always pronounced like the Danish letter å (similar to the 'o' in the English word 'so'). In fluent speech, til at åbne will blend together and sound like til å åbne.