Word
Du kan ikke servere al kaviaren i spisesalen!
Meaning
You cannot serve all the caviar in the dining hall!
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Du kan ikke servere al kaviaren i spisesalen!
Why do we use al kaviaren here instead of hele kaviaren?
In Danish, we use al (or alt for neuter words) when referring to all of an uncountable substance or mass noun, like caviar. We use hele when talking about the entirety of a single, countable object (like hele dåsen, meaning the whole can). Since caviar is a mass noun, al is correct.
Why is it al instead of alt or alle?
The word for all must agree with the noun's gender and number. Kaviar is a common gender noun (an en-word), so it takes the common form al. If it were a neuter et-word like vand (water), it would be alt vandet. For plural countable nouns, you would use alle.
Why is kaviaren in the definite form? Could I just say al kaviar?
Because we are talking about a specific, known quantity (all the caviar in our possession), al is paired with the definite noun kaviaren. If you said al kaviar, it would mean all caviar in a general, universal sense (e.g., all caviar is salty).
Why does ikke come between kan and servere?
In a standard main clause, the adverb ikke (not) must be placed right after the first, conjugated verb. Here, that is the modal verb kan (can), so ikke naturally separates it from the infinitive verb servere (serve).