At arbejde flittigt er vigtigt for at nå sine mål.

to be

Breakdown of At arbejde flittigt er vigtigt for at nå sine mål.

• for: for
• at: to
• arbejde: to work
• flittigt: diligently
• vigtigt: important
• sin: one's
• målet: the goal

Questions & Answers about At arbejde flittigt er vigtigt for at nå sine mål.

Why does the sentence begin with at arbejde flittigt instead of something like jeg arbejder flittigt?

In Danish, using at + infinitive at the start of a sentence is a way to treat the action (arbejde flittigt) as a general idea or concept. It translates roughly to "Working diligently is important …," functioning as the subject of the sentence. Instead of pointing to a specific person working diligently, the sentence uses the action in a general, more abstract sense.

What does flittigt mean exactly, and how is it used?

Flittigt means "diligently" or "industriously." It comes from the adjective flittig, which describes someone who puts consistent and earnest effort into their tasks. The adverb form flittigt modifies the verb arbejde here, telling us how the work should be done—diligently.

Why do we say for at nå sine mål instead of just at nå sine mål?

The phrase for at indicates purpose or intention. It’s similar to saying "in order to" in English. So, for at nå sine mål underscores that the purpose of working diligently is specifically to reach those goals. If you only saw at nå sine mål, it might just state the action of reaching goals without emphasizing the intentional aspect.

Can you explain sine in sine mål and how it differs from using hans or hendes?

Sine is a reflexive possessive pronoun in Danish that refers back to the subject of the clause. In this sentence, the implied subject is anyone who is working diligently. Using sine means "one's own" goals. By contrast, hans (his) or hendes (hers) would refer to someone else’s goals and not circle back to the same person doing the work.

Is the word order in the sentence typical for Danish?

Yes, it follows standard Danish structure where the infinitive phrase (at arbejde flittigt) is placed at the start as the subject, followed by the verb (er), then the complement or predicate (vigtigt). Next comes the prepositional phrase for purpose (for at nå), and finally the reflexive object (sine mål). This order is consistent with the rules of Danish grammar, even though starting with an infinitive is a stylistic choice to express a general truth.