Word
Guldsmeden tvivler på hvorvidt ædelstenen er ægte.
Meaning
The goldsmith doubts whether the gemstone is genuine.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Guldsmeden tvivler på hvorvidt ædelstenen er ægte.
være
to be
på
on / at / in (a language) / of (after nouns like end or start)
tvivle
to doubt
ægte
genuine
Questions & Answers about Guldsmeden tvivler på hvorvidt ædelstenen er ægte.
Why is hvorvidt used here instead of om?
Hvorvidt means "whether" and acts as a more formal, elevated alternative to om. While om is the standard choice for everyday speech, hvorvidt is often used in professional, written, or slightly more serious contexts, like a goldsmith authenticating a gem.
Why is there a på after tvivler? In English we just say "doubts whether".
The Danish verb at tvivle (to doubt) typically requires the preposition på. In English, we drop prepositions before conjunctions like "whether" or "that", but Danish keeps them. Therefore, you say tvivler på hvorvidt or tvivler på om.
Why doesn't the adjective ægte get an ending to match the definite noun?
Because ægte (genuine or real) is an adjective that already ends in -e in its base dictionary form. Adjectives ending in -e in Danish are indeclinable, meaning they never add a -t or extra -e regardless of the noun's gender, plurality, or definiteness.
How is the word ædelstenen formed?
It is a compound of the adjective ædel (noble or precious) and the definite noun stenen (the stone). You will also see ædel used in other similar compounds, such as ædelmetal (precious metal).