Breakdown of Jeg kan ikke holde det ud mere!
jeg
I
det
it (neuter)
ikke
not
kunne
to be able to / can
mere
more / anymore (with a negative)
holde ud
to bear, to stand (can't stand it)
Questions & Answers about Jeg kan ikke holde det ud mere!
Why is det placed between holde and ud?
Holde ud is a separable phrasal verb meaning to stand or endure. In Danish, when the object of a phrasal verb is a short pronoun like det, it usually splits the main verb and its particle (ud). If the object were a longer noun phrase, it would typically go after ud.
Doesn't holde ud literally mean to hold out?
Yes, the word-for-word translation is to hold out. However, as a fixed expression, holde ud means to endure, tolerate, or stand a situation. English uses hold out similarly in some contexts, but in Danish it directly translates to bearing or standing something.
Why is holde placed after ikke instead of right next to kan?
In a standard Danish main clause, the conjugated verb (here, the modal verb kan) must be in the second position. Sentence adverbs like ikke come right after it. Any remaining verbs, such as the infinitive holde, are pushed after the adverb.
How does Danish express the word anymore in this sentence?
Danish pairs ikke (not) and mere (more) to mean not anymore or no longer. Even though ikke and mere are separated by the main action of the sentence, they work together as a single conceptual pair to create this meaning.
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