Breakdown of Læreren bad ham om at lade være med at gabe.
læreren
the teacher
ham
him
at
to
lade være med
to stop (doing something)
bede
to ask (for)
om
for (after 'ask', introducing the request)
gabe
to yawn
Questions & Answers about Læreren bad ham om at lade være med at gabe.
Why is there an 'om' after 'ham'? Can I just say 'bad ham at lade være'?
In Danish, the verb bede (to ask or request) strictly pairs with the preposition om. When you ask someone to do something, the structure is bede nogen om at gøre noget. You cannot leave out the om.
Why use bad instead of spurgte for the word 'asked'?
English uses the word 'ask' for both seeking information and requesting an action, but Danish splits this. You use spørge (past tense spurgte) when asking a question to get a verbal answer. You use bede (past tense bad) when requesting that someone physically do something.
What exactly does lade være med mean here?
Lade være med is a very common Danish idiom meaning 'to refrain from' or 'to stop doing' something. Literally translating to 'let be with', it is the most natural way to tell someone to cut out a specific behavior, such as yawning.
There are two instances of at in this sentence. Why are both necessary?
Both are required because you are linking two infinitive verbs. The first at belongs to lade, forming at lade være med (to refrain from). Because the preposition med must be followed by the next action in its infinitive form, you need the second at for at gabe (to yawn).
Learn Læreren bad ham om at lade være med at gabe 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