Breakdown of Hun arbejder for staten.
hun
she
arbejde
to work
for
for (preposition)
staten
the state (central government)
Questions & Answers about Hun arbejder for staten.
Why use for here instead of hos?
In Danish, arbejder for is used when working on behalf of a broad entity, a cause, or a person, very similar to English. However, if she worked for a specific named company, you would usually say she arbejder hos that company (for example, arbejder hos Lego).
Does staten mean the exact same thing as the government?
They are related but slightly different. staten refers to the state as a permanent public institution or the national government apparatus. If you want to talk about the current political administration in charge, you would use the word regeringen. When talking about civil service jobs, Danes say they work for staten or det offentlige (the public sector).
How is the word staten formed here?
It comes from the common gender noun en stat (a state). To say the state, Danish attaches the article to the end of the word, making it staten. This is the standard way to make a noun definite in Danish.