Breakdown of Hun flyttede til København for fem år siden og har boet der lige siden.
der
there
hun
she
og
and
bo
to live
have
to have
fem
five
året
the year
til
to (preposition) / for (purpose) / at (an event or occasion) / at (good at something)
flytte
to move
siden
ago
København
Copenhagen
lige siden
ever since
Questions & Answers about Hun flyttede til København for fem år siden og har boet der lige siden.
Why do we use siden twice here with different English translations ("ago" and "since")?
In Danish, the phrase for [time] siden translates to "[time] ago". So for fem år siden means "five years ago". But when siden is used on its own or in the phrase lige siden, it means "since" or "ever since".
Why does the sentence switch from the simple past (flyttede) to the present perfect (har boet)?
The first verb is in the simple past because the action happened at a specific, finished time in the past (for fem år siden). The second verb is in the present perfect because the action of living there started in the past and continues into the present.
What purpose does lige serve in the phrase lige siden?
The word lige has many meanings like "straight" or "just", but here it works as an intensifier. While siden simply means "since", adding lige makes it lige siden, which translates to "ever since", emphasizing the unbroken span of time.
Since she moved "to" Copenhagen, why do we use der instead of a directional word like dertil in the second half?
The verb flyttede (moved) implies motion, which is why it is paired with til København. However, the second verb har boet (has lived) describes a static state. Therefore, you must use the static location word der (there) instead of a directional word like dertil (to there).
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