Breakdown of Operatøren har kølesystemet kørende mens hun arbejder.
hun
she
køre
to drive / to ride (a bike) / to run (of a train or bus service)
arbejde
to work
have
to have
mens
while
operatøren
the operator
kølesystemet
the cooling system
Questions & Answers about Operatøren har kølesystemet kørende mens hun arbejder.
How exactly does the maintained state structure work in this sentence?
It uses the verb har followed by the object kølesystemet and the present participle kørende. Just like in English, this structure shows that the operator initiated the action and is actively keeping the cooling system in that running state.
Does the present participle kørende need to agree with the neuter noun kølesystemet?
No, Danish present participles are incredibly stable. They always end in -ende and never change to match the gender or number of the noun they describe. Whether the object is en maskine or et kølesystem, the word remains kørende.
Would it be grammatically correct to use the infinitive køre instead of kørende here?
No, using the infinitive køre after an object is typically reserved for sensory verbs, like hearing or seeing something run. To express an ongoing, maintained state that the subject is keeping active, you must use the present participle kørende.
Does the word order change in the clause starting with mens?
Because mens is a subordinating conjunction, it introduces a subordinate clause where central adverbs like ikke would normally jump in front of the verb. However, since there are no adverbs in the phrase mens hun arbejder, the subject and verb sit right next to each other, making it look identical to main clause word order.
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