Breakdown of Han er ikke i stand til at gå i dag.
være
to be
han
he
ikke
not
at
to
gå
to walk / to go / to go out, to fail (of power)
i dag
today
i stand til
able to, capable of
Questions & Answers about Han er ikke i stand til at gå i dag.
Why does this sentence use i stand til instead of just saying kan (can)?
While kan is the general word for ability, the phrase i stand til emphasizes physical or mental capability, much like "capable of" or "in a condition to" in English. Using it here heavily implies that a medical issue, injury, or severe fatigue is physically preventing him from walking today.
What does the word stand literally mean in this phrase?
On its own, stand means "state" or "condition." So when you say someone is i stand til something, you are literally saying they are "in a state to" or "in a condition to" do it.
Why is there a til right before at gå?
The phrase i stand is always paired with the preposition til when connecting to an action. In Danish, when a preposition is followed by a verb, that verb must be in its full infinitive form, which includes the infinitive marker at. Therefore, you need both the preposition til and the marker at before the verb gå.
I thought "to go" translates to at gå, but here it means "to walk". How do I know the difference?
This is a very common trap for English speakers! In Danish, at gå usually refers to the physical act of walking on your feet. If you want to translate "go" in the sense of traveling somewhere (like going to the store or going to Paris), you should generally use the verb at tage instead. Because there is no destination here, at gå clearly means "to walk."
Learn Han er ikke i stand til at gå i dag and more in Danish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free