Word
Han holdt op med at ryge sidste år.
Meaning
He quit smoking last year.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Han holdt op med at ryge sidste år.
Why is med at ryge used here instead of an -ing word for smoking?
In Danish, the verb phrase for quitting or stopping an action is holde op med. When the thing you are stopping is a verb, Danish uses med at followed by the infinitive (ryge). English uses the -ing form, but Danish almost always uses the infinitive after a preposition.
Can I say Han stoppede instead of Han holdt op?
Yes, absolutely. Han stoppede med at ryge is perfectly correct and means the exact same thing. At holde op is just a very common, natural phrasal verb for stopping an activity.
Why isn't there a preposition before sidste år?
Just like in English, Danish doesn't use a preposition before time expressions starting with sidste (last) or næste (next). You just say sidste år without adding a word like i.
What is the exact role of op in this sentence?
The word op is a particle that changes the meaning of the verb at holde (to hold). Together, at holde op means to stop or to cease. In a main clause like this, the particle op sits right after the verb.