Word
Manualen er nem for hende at læse.
Meaning
The manual is easy for her to read.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Manualen er nem for hende at læse.
Why does this sentence use the active verb at læse instead of a passive form like at læses?
This is a special sentence structure where adjectives like nem (easy), svær (hard), or let (easy) are followed by at plus an active infinitive. Just like in English, Danish uses the active form at læse (to read) even though the manual is the thing being read.
Why is the adjective nem and not nemt?
The adjective describes the subject of the sentence, Manualen. Since manual is a common gender word (en manual), the adjective takes the basic form nem. If the subject were a neuter word, like brev (letter), it would be Brevet er nemt for hende at læse.
Could I use let instead of nem here?
Yes, absolutely! When talking about how difficult something is to do, nem and let are exact synonyms. Manualen er let for hende at læse would mean the exact same thing.
What happens if I move for hende to the end of the sentence?
It is much more natural to keep for hende right after the adjective it modifies (nem). Placing it at the very end (Manualen er nem at læse for hende) sounds a bit clumsy in Danish, even though it would still be understood.