Breakdown of Piraten der stjal skatten, var farlig.
være
to be
farlig
dangerous
stjæle
to steal
der
who, which (relative, subject)
skatten
the treasure
piraten
the pirate
Questions & Answers about Piraten der stjal skatten, var farlig.
Why is there a comma after 'skatten' but not before 'der'?
This sentence uses the modern Danish comma system, often called the comma without 'start comma'. In this system, you do not put a comma before a relative clause starting with der, but you must still place one after it to show where the main clause resumes. In the traditional system, it would be written as Piraten, der stjal skatten, var farlig.
Could I use 'som' instead of 'der' in this sentence?
Yes, you can. Both der and som can be used as relative pronouns meaning 'who', 'which', or 'that'. However, der can only be used when it is the subject of the relative clause, which it is here because the pirate is the one doing the stealing. If the relative pronoun were the object, you would have to use som.
Does the verb 'var' come right after the comma because of the V2 (verb-second) rule?
Exactly. The entire phrase Piraten der stjal skatten acts as one long subject for the main clause. Since this whole chunk occupies the first position in the sentence, the main verb var must immediately follow it in the second position to satisfy the Danish V2 rule.
What is the infinitive of 'stjal'?
The infinitive is at stjæle (to steal). It is a strong verb, meaning it changes its inner vowel in the past tense rather than adding a standard ending like -ede or -te. The principal parts are stjæler in the present, stjal in the past, and har stjålet in the present perfect.
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