Breakdown of Vi åbner brætspillet uden at læse regelbogen.
læse
to read
åbne
to open
vi
we
brætspillet
the board game
Questions & Answers about Vi åbner brætspillet uden at læse regelbogen.
Why is it vi åbner and not something like vi åbne?
Because åbner is the present tense form of the verb at åbne (to open).
- at åbne = to open
- jeg åbner = I open / I am opening
- vi åbner = we open / we are opening
In Danish, the present tense usually ends in -r.
Why is there no at before åbner, but there is at before læse?
Because the two verbs are doing different jobs in the sentence.
- åbner is the main finite verb of the sentence, so it does not take at.
- læse comes after uden at, and here it is an infinitive, so it does take at.
Compare:
- Vi åbner brætspillet. = We open the board game.
- uden at læse = without reading
So at here works like the infinitive marker to in English.
What does uden at mean grammatically?