Breakdown of Hvem står for maden til festen?
maden
the food
hvem
who
til
to (preposition) / for (purpose) / at (an event or occasion) / at (good at something)
festen
the party
stå for
to be in charge of; to stand for
Questions & Answers about Hvem står for maden til festen?
What does the phrasal verb står for mean here, and how is it different from just saying laver?
Står for means 'to be in charge of' or 'to be responsible for'. Using står for maden implies the person is organizing or providing the food, whereas laver maden would specifically mean they are the ones physically cooking it.
Why do we use the preposition til instead of for when translating 'for the party'?
Prepositions rarely translate one-to-one. In Danish, when you are providing something for a specific event, occasion, or recipient, you generally use til. Saying for festen would sound unnatural in this context.
Could I use har ansvaret for instead of står for to say someone is in charge?
Yes, but står for is much more common and natural for everyday planning and tasks. Har ansvaret for translates to 'has the responsibility for' and can sound a bit too formal or heavy for a casual party setting.
Why are both maden and festen in their definite forms here?
Just like in English, you are talking about 'the food' for 'the party', referring to a specific, already planned event. If you used the indefinite forms and said mad til fest, it would sound like a general category, like 'party food' in the abstract.
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