Word
Hun tabte mejslen, men mesterværket står stadig til at vinde.
Meaning
She dropped the chisel, but the masterpiece is still slated to win.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Hun tabte mejslen, men mesterværket står stadig til at vinde.
hun
she
men
but
vinde
to win
tabe
to drop / to lose
Questions & Answers about Hun tabte mejslen, men mesterværket står stadig til at vinde.
How exactly does står til at work to mean 'is slated to'?
The phrase står til at is used to describe a prospective aspect, meaning something is highly likely to happen based on the current situation or trajectory. Just like in English, it translates beautifully to 'is slated to' or 'stands to' (as in, 'it stands to win').
Why is the definite form of mejsel spelled mejslen instead of mejselen?
When a Danish noun ends in an unaccented -el, -en, or -er, it typically drops that final -e- before adding the definite suffix. This happens to make the word flow better and avoids an awkward extra syllable. So, mejsel + -en contracts into mejslen.
Why does the word stadig interrupt the phrase står til at?
Stadig (still) is a central adverb. In a standard Danish main clause (which follows V2 word order), central adverbs must be placed immediately after the conjugated verb. Even though stå til at feels like a single unit of meaning, grammar rules force stadig to step in right after the finite verb står.
What is the difference between saying står til at vinde and just saying vil vinde?
Saying vil vinde (will win) is a straightforward future prediction. Using står til at vinde (is slated to win / is on track to win) emphasizes the current conditions. It tells us that right now, the masterpiece is in a winning position, even though the final outcome hasn't happened yet.