Breakdown of Forsøget viste at medicinen virker.
at
that
vise
to show
medicinen
the medicine
virke
to seem; to work (of a machine)
forsøget
the experiment
Questions & Answers about Forsøget viste at medicinen virker.
Why is virker in the present tense when the main verb viste is in the past tense?
In English, we often shift tenses back in reported facts, saying "showed that it worked". In Danish, if the fact remains true in the present (the medicine is still effective), it is standard to keep the subordinate clause in the present tense (virker).
Could I use arbejder instead of virker to mean the medicine "works"?
No, arbejder is used almost exclusively for doing labor or physical work, usually by a person or animal. When referring to a mechanism functioning or a treatment being effective, you must use virker.
If I wanted to say the medicine does not work, where would ikke go?
It would be placed before the verb: at medicinen ikke virker. This is because the second half of the sentence is a subordinate clause. In Danish subordinate clauses, central adverbs like ikke must come between the subject (medicinen) and the verb (virker).
How does the word forsøget (the experiment) relate to the verb at søge (to seek)?
The noun et forsøg is related to the verb at forsøge (to try or attempt). Adding the prefix for- to søge (to seek) changes the meaning to testing or attempting something, which perfectly describes what an experiment does.
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