Breakdown of Vi ved ikke hvad meningen med skabelsen er.
være
to be
vi
we
ikke
not
hvad
what
vide
to know
med
with; by (bus, train) / of, to (the meaning or point of something)
meningen
the meaning (purpose, intention)
skabelsen
the creation
Questions & Answers about Vi ved ikke hvad meningen med skabelsen er.
How does the noun meningen relate to the verb at mene?
The noun mening (meaning or opinion) is formed by taking the verb at mene (to mean or think) and adding the suffix -ning (which replaces the final 'e'). This is a very common way to turn a verb into a noun in Danish. In this sentence, the definite suffix -en is then added to make meningen (the meaning).
How is the word skabelsen built?
It comes from the verb at skabe (to create). By adding the suffix -else, we get the noun skabelse (creation). To say "the creation," we add the definite article. Since skabelse already ends in an "e," we just add -n to get skabelsen.
Why do we use med (with) instead of af (of) for "the meaning of"?
In Danish, when you talk about the meaning, purpose, or point of something, the fixed expression is meningen med (literally "the meaning with"). Directly translating the English "of" to af here would sound unnatural.
Why does the verb er come at the very end of the sentence?
The phrase hvad meningen med skabelsen er is a subordinate clause (a dependent clause acting as the object of "we do not know"). In Danish subordinate clauses, the subject (meningen med skabelsen) must come before the verb (er). This mirrors the English indirect question "what the meaning of the creation is."
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