Breakdown of Urmageren kiggede længe på det gamle urværk.
det
the (neuter, before adjective)
gammel
old
på
on / at / in (a language) / of (after nouns like end or start)
kigge
to look
Questions & Answers about Urmageren kiggede længe på det gamle urværk.
How would we apply this lesson's grammar to say "the ever so old clockwork"?
You would insert nok så directly before the adjective, making it det nok så gamle urværk. This concessive structure (det + nok så + adjective + noun) implies that the clockwork is quite old, but that fact didn't prevent the watchmaker from doing something with it.
What are the parts of the compound word Urmageren?
It is made of ur (clock or watch) + mager (maker) + the definite suffix -en. The word mager comes from Low German and isn't really used as an independent word in modern Danish, but you will recognize it in other traditional trades like skomager (shoemaker) or pølsemager (sausage maker).
Why do we use the adverb længe here instead of lang tid?
Both can translate to "for a long time." However, længe is an adverb of time that elegantly describes the duration of the verb (kiggede). While you could grammatically say kiggede i lang tid, using længe is much more natural, common, and concise in Danish.
A quick refresher: Why is the adjective spelled gamle and not gammel here?