Produceren skulle lige til at starte udsendelsen.
The producer was just about to start the broadcast.
Breakdown of Produceren skulle lige til at starte udsendelsen.
at
to
til
to (preposition) / for (purpose) / at (an event or occasion) / at (good at something)
skulle
to have to / must / to be going to
lige
just, right (now, here)
starte
to start
produceren
the producer
udsendelsen
the broadcast
Questions & Answers about Produceren skulle lige til at starte udsendelsen.
How does the phrase skulle lige til at create the meaning 'was just about to'?
The base structure skal til at means 'to be about to' do something. By using the past tense skulle, it shifts to 'was about to'. Inserting the adverb lige (just) emphasizes that the action was on the very brink of happening, creating 'was just about to'.
Why is there an at before starte when skulle is a modal verb?
While modal verbs normally take a bare infinitive without at, the verb starte here is not governed directly by skulle. Instead, it is governed by the preposition til. The fixed construction is til at + infinitive, so the at is required.
Could we use begynde instead of starte here?
Yes, they are mostly interchangeable for starting an event, but starte is especially natural here. While begynde is the general word for 'begin', starte is often preferred when actively initiating a technical process, machine, or production, which fits perfectly with a producer starting a broadcast.
How does the word udsendelsen break down?
It is built from the verb at udsende, combining ud (out) and sende (send). The suffix -else turns this into a noun, and the final -n is the definite article, making it 'the broadcast'.
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