Breakdown of Boutiquehotellet ligger nok afsides, men udsigten er fantastisk.
være
to be
ligge
to lie (be lying down) / to be located
men
but
fantastisk
fantastic
nok
probably (I suppose)
udsigten
the view
boutiquehotellet
the boutique hotel
afsides
remote
Questions & Answers about Boutiquehotellet ligger nok afsides, men udsigten er fantastisk.
How does nok function in this sentence? I thought it meant 'probably' or 'enough'.
When paired with men later in the sentence, nok takes on a concessive meaning. The structure nok ... men translates to 'may [be] ... but' or 'sure, [it is] ... but'. It acknowledges a potential negative (being remote) before countering it with a positive (the fantastic view).
Why does the sentence use ligger instead of er to say the hotel 'is' remote?
Danish strongly prefers positional verbs like ligger (lies) or står (stands) over er (is) when describing the physical location of things. For geographic locations, buildings, and areas, ligger is the standard choice.
Does the -s at the end of afsides mean it is plural or passive?
No, afsides (remote or isolated) is a base vocabulary word that naturally ends in -s. Historically, this comes from an old genitive form meaning 'off the side', but today it functions as a standard adverb or uninflected adjective.
If I wanted to flip the clauses, could I say Udsigten er fantastisk, men boutiquehotellet ligger nok afsides?
You could, but it changes the nuance. The nok ... men construction specifically builds up an expectation (the concession) and then resolves it. Putting nok in the second clause sounds less like a planned contrast and more like an afterthought, such as '..., but I guess the hotel is remote'.
Learn Boutiquehotellet ligger nok afsides, men udsigten er fantastisk and more in Danish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free