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Min far går meget op i sin have.

Min far går meget op i sin have.
My father is very into his garden.
From Lesson 313:Keeping up and getting started (følge med i, gå i gang med, nå)·Danish

Questions & Answers about Min far går meget op i sin have.

What does the phrase går op i mean literally?
Literally, it means "goes up in". However, at gå op i noget is a very common Danish expression meaning to care a lot about something, be deeply interested in it, or be "into" it (like a hobby, a cause, or your work).
Why does this sentence use sin have instead of hans have for "his garden"?
Sin means "his own" and refers back to the subject of the sentence, which is Min far. If the sentence said hans have, it would imply that he is into another man's garden! You must use sin, sit, or sine when a third-person subject is doing something to or with their own possession.
Why is the word meget placed in the middle of the phrase går op i?
In a Danish main clause, adverbs of degree like meget (very/a lot) usually come right after the finite (conjugated) verb, which is går. Instead of putting "a lot" at the end of the sentence like you might in English, the adverb naturally slots right after the verb, splitting the phrase to become går meget op i.
The father is into a specific garden, so why is it just have and not the definite form haven?
In Danish, whenever a noun comes right after a possessive word (like sin, min, or vores), it must be in its basic, indefinite form. The possessive word already tells us exactly which garden it is, making the definite -en ending unnecessary. Therefore, it is always sin have, never sin haven.

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