Breakdown of Modstandsbevægelsen trodser undertrykkelsen, ske hvad der vil.
hvad
what
ville
want to / will
ske
to happen
der
who, which (relative, subject)
modstandsbevægelsen
the resistance movement
trodse
to defy
undertrykkelsen
the oppression
Questions & Answers about Modstandsbevægelsen trodser undertrykkelsen, ske hvad der vil.
Why is it ske and not sker in this sentence?
Ske is in the subjunctive mood, a form rarely used in modern Danish except in fixed, fossilized expressions like this one. It expresses a concession, meaning 'let happen'. If you used the normal present tense sker, the expression would lose this 'come what may' meaning and sound grammatically incorrect to a native speaker.
How does ske hvad der vil literally translate, and why do we need der?
It literally translates to 'happen what there will'. We need der because of a classic Danish rule: when hvad (what) or hvem (who) acts as the subject of a relative clause, you must add der right after it. Since 'what' is the thing doing the 'willing' in this phrase, der is strictly required.
How is the word Modstandsbevægelsen put together?
It is a compound noun made of modstand (resistance) and bevægelsen (the movement). Notice the s in the middle: this is a linking s (called a 'fuge-s') which is frequently used in Danish to glue two nouns together smoothly so they are easier to pronounce.
Is the word undertrykkelsen structurally similar to its English translation?
Yes! Under means 'under' and trykke means 'to press', which perfectly mirrors the roots of the English word 'oppression' (to press against or under). The -else suffix turns the action into a noun, and the final -n makes it definite ('the oppression').
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