Learn Danish: Hun siger at reglen desværre ikke lader sig omgå. - She says that the rule unfortunately cannot be bypassed.

Hun siger at reglen desværre ikke lader sig omgå.

She says that the rule unfortunately cannot be bypassed.

Breakdown of Hun siger at reglen desværre ikke lader sig omgå.

Questions & Answers about Hun siger at reglen desværre ikke lader sig omgå.

Why does the sentence use lader sig omgå instead of a regular passive like kan ikke omgås?

The construction lader sig + infinitive is an idiomatic way to express that something can (or in this case, cannot) be done. It literally translates to 'lets itself bypass' but means 'can be bypassed'. It means the exact same thing as kan omgås but adds a slightly more formal or objective tone.

Why is the verb omgå in the active form here instead of the passive omgås?

In the lader sig construction, the verb that follows sig is always in the active infinitive form, even though the overall resulting meaning is passive. You never use the s-passive form directly after lader sig.

Why do the adverbs desværre and ikke come before the verb lader?

Because this part of the sentence is a subordinate clause introduced by at. In Danish subordinate clauses, central adverbs must be placed between the subject (reglen) and the conjugated verb (lader). This is a classic word order rule that is easy to forget when a sentence gets longer.

Is there a specific reason desværre comes before ikke?

Yes. When a clause has multiple central adverbs in a row, attitude or comment adverbs like desværre almost always come before the negation ikke.