Breakdown of Lægen kommer snart. I mellemtiden skal du hvile dig.
du
you
i
in
lægen
the doctor
komme
to come
skulle
to have to / must / to be going to
snart
soon
hvile sig
to rest
mellemtiden
the meantime
Questions & Answers about Lægen kommer snart. I mellemtiden skal du hvile dig.
Why is the verb skal placed before the subject du in the second sentence?
This is because of the V2 (verb-second) rule in Danish. Since the sentence starts with the phrase I mellemtiden (In the meantime), the verb skal must take the second position, pushing the subject du to the third position.
Why do we use dig at the end of the sentence?
The verb at hvile (to rest) is almost always used reflexively in Danish as at hvile sig (literally 'to rest oneself'). Because the subject of this sentence is du (you), the reflexive pronoun must match it, becoming dig.
The English translation uses 'should', but doesn't skal usually mean 'must'?
Yes, skal often means 'must' or indicates a strict future action, but it is also used to give instructions or strong advice. In a caregiving context, skal feels like a firm but caring 'should' or 'are supposed to'. Using bør (ought to) instead would sound like a mere suggestion rather than a gentle instruction.
How exactly does the phrase i mellemtiden break down?
It combines the preposition i (in), the word mellem (between), and tiden (the time, which is the definite form of tid). Literally, it translates to 'in the between-time', which matches the English 'in the meantime'.
Why is the present tense kommer used when the doctor is coming in the future?
In Danish, it is very common to use the present tense to talk about future events. Because the time word snart (soon) already makes it clear that the action is yet to happen, you do not need a future helper verb like vil here.
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