Breakdown of Jeg forpligter mig til at fortsætte min selvudvikling.
jeg
I
min
my
at
to
fortsætte
to continue
selvudviklingen
the self-development
forpligte sig til
to commit oneself to
Questions & Answers about Jeg forpligter mig til at fortsætte min selvudvikling.
Why do we use at fortsætte here instead of a full clause like at jeg fortsætter?
Because the subject making the commitment (Jeg) is the exact same person doing the continuing. In Danish, when the subject of the main verb and the dependent verb are the same (known as subject co-reference), it is much more natural to use an at-infinitive rather than a full at-clause. Saying Jeg forpligter mig til, at jeg fortsætter sounds unnecessarily repetitive.
Why is there a til right before at fortsætte?
The core verb phrase is at forpligte sig til (to commit oneself to). When a Danish preposition (like til) is followed by an action, that action must be an at-infinitive. This is an important pattern to remember because English uses the "-ing" form here ("to continuing"), which often tempts learners to look for a Danish equivalent that doesn't exist.
Why do we need the word mig in this sentence?
The verb forpligte (to oblige or commit) is reflexive here. In Danish, you generally don't just "commit to" something; you must specify who you are committing. Since the subject is Jeg, you use the reflexive pronoun mig (literally: "I commit myself to...").
How do we know the gender of a compound word like selvudvikling?
The possessive pronoun min gives it away—it is a common gender (en) word. In Danish, the gender of a compound word is always dictated by its final noun. Because en udvikling (a development) is an en-word, selvudvikling is too.
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