Breakdown of Læreren beder eleven om at læse bogen, og hun gør det.
hun
she
det
it (neuter)
og
and
læse
to read
bogen
the book
læreren
the teacher
at
to
om
whether
gøre
to do / to make (cause to be)
eleven
the pupil
bede
to ask (for)
Questions & Answers about Læreren beder eleven om at læse bogen, og hun gør det.
What exactly does gør det replace in this sentence?
It stands in for the entire action mentioned in the first clause: læse bogen (read the book). In Danish, clausal substitution with gøre det is used to avoid repeating a verb phrase, similar to saying "does so" or "does it" in English.
Why is there an om before at læse? Can I just say beder eleven at læse?
No, you cannot drop om here. The verb bede (to ask or request) strongly pairs with the preposition om when specifying the request. The set structure is bede nogen om at gøre noget (to ask someone to do something).
How do we know who hun refers to, since both læreren and eleven could be female?
Grammatically, it is ambiguous. However, context makes it clear: the teacher makes the request, so the student (eleven) is the one who carries out the action (gør det). Notice that hun is in the subject form because she is the subject of the new clause after og.
Could I use gjorde det here instead of gør det?
Not without also changing the first verb. The sentence uses the present tense beder (asks), so the completion of the action logically happens in the present tense too: gør det. If the teacher had asked in the past (bad), you would use the past tense gjorde det.
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