Breakdown of Han siger at han aldrig bruger gaffeltrucken.
han
he
sige
to say
bruge
to use / to spend (money, time) / to need (together with the modal of obligation)
aldrig
never
Questions & Answers about Han siger at han aldrig bruger gaffeltrucken.
Why is aldrig placed before the verb bruger here?
Because at han aldrig bruger gaffeltrucken is a subordinate clause (a dependent clause introduced by at). In a regular main sentence, the adverb comes after the first verb (Han bruger aldrig...). However, in Danish subordinate clauses, central adverbs like aldrig and ikke must always be placed before the verb.
Why does the Danish word for forklift use the English word "truck"?
Gaffeltruck is a compound of gaffel (fork) and the English loanword truck. However, be careful as a B2 learner: in Danish, en truck almost exclusively refers to a forklift or a similar small industrial vehicle. If you want to talk about a regular semi-truck or lorry, you must use the word en lastbil.
Can I omit the word at in this sentence?
Yes, you can. Just like the word "that" in English, the conjunction at is often dropped in everyday Danish. You will frequently hear sentences like this spoken as Han siger, han aldrig bruger gaffeltrucken.
How is the phrase siger at pronounced in natural speech?
Danes typically swallow the consonants here. The "g" in siger is usually silent, making it sound like "si'er". The word at is normally reduced to a short "a" sound. Put together, it sounds more like "si'er a".