Questions & Answers about Beskylder du mig for at stjæle?
Why is the preposition for used here instead of a Danish translation of 'of'?
Verbs in Danish often take different fixed prepositions than their English counterparts. The verb beskylde (to accuse) is always followed by for, whereas English uses the preposition 'of'.
English uses an -ing verb here (stealing). Why does Danish use at stjæle?
When a preposition is followed by a verb in English, that verb takes the -ing form (a gerund). Danish does not use -ing forms this way. Instead, when a Danish preposition is followed by an action, you must use the infinitive form of the verb, which is at stjæle in this case.
Doesn't the phrase for at usually mean 'in order to'?
It often does, but not here! When you see for at meaning 'in order to', the for is part of a conjunction showing purpose. In this sentence, the for is entirely separate; it is the fixed preposition demanded by beskylde. The at just happens to follow it because the next word is an infinitive verb.
Why is there no Danish word for 'Are' at the beginning of the sentence?
Danish does not use the present continuous tense (am/is/are + -ing). The single present tense verb beskylder covers both 'accuse' and 'are accusing'. Placing it at the absolute front of the sentence automatically forms the yes/no question.