Questions & Answers about Bordet er også dækket.
Why do we use 'er' here instead of 'bliver' to form the passive?
The phrase er dækket is the stative passive (tilstandspassiv). It uses at være (to be) plus a past participle to describe a finished state or condition. If you used bliver dækket or the s-passive dækkes, it would mean the action of setting the table is happening right now. Here, the action is already finished, and we are just looking at the result.
Why does the participle dækket end with a 't'?
In the stative passive, the past participle acts like an adjective and must agree with the subject. The subject here is Bordet (the table), which is a neuter noun (an et word). Therefore, the participle dækket takes the neuter -t ending to match.
What is the rule for placing også in this sentence?
In a main clause, central adverbs like også, ikke, and altid are placed after the finite (conjugated) verb but before any other verbs. Here, også correctly sits right between the conjugated auxiliary verb er and the past participle dækket.
Does dækket literally mean 'covered' here?
Yes, the literal translation of the Danish phrase for setting a table, at dække bord, is to cover a table. In this specific context of preparing for a meal, it translates to 'set', but the core meaning of the verb at dække is indeed to cover.