Breakdown of At grævlingen graver i jorden, ser vi sjældent.
se
to see / to look at
vi
we
i
in
at
that
sjældent
rarely
jorden
the ground, the soil
grave
to dig
grævlingen
the badger
Questions & Answers about At grævlingen graver i jorden, ser vi sjældent.
How does putting the 'at'-clause at the beginning change the feel of the sentence?
This is called topicalization. By moving the entire object clause (At grævlingen graver i jorden) to the front, you emphasize the action of the badger digging. It signals to the listener that this specific event is the main topic of your statement, contrasting it with other things you might observe.
Why do we use inverted word order (ser vi) in the main clause here?
Danish enforces the V2 (verb-second) rule in main clauses. The entire topicalized clause (At grævlingen graver i jorden) counts as a single element occupying the first position in the sentence. Therefore, the main verb (ser) must take the second position, forcing the subject (vi) to invert and come right after it.
Why is the adverb sjældent placed at the very end of the sentence?
In an inverted main clause, central adverbs like sjældent (rarely) are placed immediately after the subject (vi). Because the object of the sentence was already moved to the front, there is nothing else left in the main clause, leaving the adverb at the very end.
Does jorden mean the planet Earth or the ground here?
It means the ground or the soil in this context. While the exact same word is used for the planet Earth (often capitalized as Jorden), here it simply refers to the dirt the badger is digging into.
Learn At grævlingen graver i jorden, ser vi sjældent 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