Jeg elsker at synge, når jeg er glad.

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Breakdown of Jeg elsker at synge, når jeg er glad.

• være: to be
• når: when
• at: to

Questions & Answers about Jeg elsker at synge, når jeg er glad.

Why do we use at before synge?

In Danish, at is the infinitive marker. It signals that synge is being used as an infinitive (to sing). In English, we would say “to sing.”

Why is synge in its base form?

When a verb follows at, it remains in the infinitive or base form. It doesn’t get conjugated for person or number.

Why do we say når jeg er glad instead of just når jeg glad?

In Danish, you need a form of the verb at være (to be), so er is required. Glad is an adjective describing your state, so you need er to link the subject (jeg) with the adjective (glad).

Why do we repeat jeg before er glad?

Both clauses need a subject. The first clause is Jeg elsker at synge, and the second is når jeg er glad. Each clause stands on its own, and Danish grammar places the subject jeg in each clause.