Ordet er svært at oversætte.

The word is difficult to translate.

Breakdown of Ordet er svært at oversætte.

• være: to be
• at: to
• oversætte: to translate
• ordet: the word
• svært: difficult

Questions & Answers about Ordet er svært at oversætte.

Why is the word svært used here?

In Danish, svært often means difficult, so the sentence literally means "The word is difficult to translate." Here, svært is used in the sense of hard, challenging, or requiring significant effort.

Could I replace svært with vanskeligt?

Yes, you could say "Ordet er vanskeligt at oversætte." Both svært and vanskeligt convey the idea of difficulty, though svært is more commonly used in daily conversation, while vanskeligt is slightly more formal.

Why is at needed before oversætte?

In Danish, at is used before the infinitive form of a verb. Here, oversætte (to translate) is in its infinitive form, so you need at to indicate that the action is an infinitive verb.

Is Ordet the subject in this sentence?

Yes, Ordet (meaning the word) is the subject. It’s followed by er, which is the verb to be, and then the adjective svært, leading into the infinitive phrase at oversætte.

Could I say this phrase in a different word order?

Generally, Ordet er svært at oversætte is the most common word order. Danish often follows a subject-verb-adverb structure, and the infinitive phrase naturally comes at the end here. You could change emphasis or switch to a passive construction, but in simple statements, the given word order is typical.