Breakdown of Regeringen skal træffe en beslutning inden fredag.
skulle
to have to / must / to be going to
fredag
Friday
inden
before
regeringen
the government
træffe en beslutning
to make a decision
Questions & Answers about Regeringen skal træffe en beslutning inden fredag.
Why use træffe instead of lave or gøre to mean "make"?
In Danish, you cannot lave or gøre a decision. The standard formal collocation (fixed phrase) is at træffe en beslutning. You will also see træffe used in similar formal phrases, like at træffe et valg (to make a choice).
Is it also correct to say tage en beslutning?
Yes, at tage en beslutning is very common and perfectly correct in everyday Danish. However, at træffe en beslutning sounds slightly more formal, which fits well when talking about official government actions.
Why is inden used here rather than før?
While both mean "before", inden is highly preferred when expressing a strict deadline (meaning "no later than" or "by"). før is generally used for a simple sequence of events, but for a deadline like this, inden is the most natural choice.
Why does it just say fredag and not på fredag?
Using inden fredag establishes Friday as the cut-off point. If you said inden på fredag, it would specifically emphasize "before this coming Friday." Both are grammatically fine, but inden fredag is the standard, concise way to express the day of a deadline.
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