Breakdown of Det lykkedes for mig at gå hele vandreturen selvom den var anstrengende.
være
to be
den
it (common)
det
it (neuter)
mig
me
at
to
gå
to walk / to go / to go out, to fail (of power)
selvom
even though
lykkes
to succeed
for
for (preposition)
hele
the whole / all of
vandreturen
the hike
anstrengende
strenuous
Questions & Answers about Det lykkedes for mig at gå hele vandreturen selvom den var anstrengende.
Why is it hele vandreturen and not den hele vandretur?
Normally in Danish, when you use an adjective with a definite noun, you need the free definite article (like den lange vandretur). However, the word hele (the whole / all of) is a special exception. It attaches directly to the noun's suffixed definite form without needing den or det in front, resulting in hele vandreturen.
Why is it Det lykkedes for mig instead of Jeg lykkedes?
In Danish, the verb at lykkes (to succeed) is used impersonally. You cannot say jeg lykkedes to mean 'I succeeded'. Instead, you must phrase it as det lykkedes for mig (literally 'it succeeded for me') or simply det lykkedes mig.
Why does lykkedes end in an -s? Is it a passive verb here?
No, it is not passive. At lykkes is a deponent verb, which means it always ends in -s even when its meaning is active. The past tense form used in this sentence is lykkedes.
Why doesn't the adjective anstrengende change form to agree with the pronoun den?
The word anstrengende (strenuous) is a present participle functioning as an adjective, which you can recognize by the -ende ending. In Danish, these types of adjectives are completely uninflected. They never add a -t or an -e, regardless of the gender or number of the noun they describe.
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