Breakdown of Venskabet vokser sig stærkt, når vi deler glæder og sorger.
og
and
når
when
vi
we
glæden
the joy
vokse
to grow
stærk
strong
sig
itself
venskabet
the friendship
sorgen
the sorrow
dele
to share
Questions & Answers about Venskabet vokser sig stærkt, når vi deler glæder og sorger.
Why is the definite form Venskabet used instead of something like Et venskab?
Danish often uses the definite form to talk about a concept in a general and more abstract way. By saying Venskabet (meaning the friendship), the sentence treats friendship as a concrete entity. Using Et venskab (meaning a friendship) would be more indefinite and might not capture the same universal sense.
What does vokser sig stærkt mean literally, and why is sig there?
Literally, it can be understood as grows itself strong, where sig is a reflexive pronoun. In Danish, phrases like vokse sig are used to indicate that something develops or grows in a particular way regarding itself. English typically drops the reflexive, so you might see it simply as grows stronger.
How does når function in this sentence?
Når means when (in a temporal sense). It introduces the condition or situation (sharing joys and sorrows) under which the friendship grows stronger. It’s used to express that whenever we share those emotions, the friendship strengthens.
Why does the sentence pair glæder and sorger?
It’s a common Danish (and broader Scandinavian) pairing that refers to good times (glæder, meaning joys) and bad times (sorger, meaning sorrows). It expresses the idea that true friendship grows by sharing both positive and negative experiences in life.
Is there a more direct English equivalent for glæder og sorger?
You could say joys and sorrows, ups and downs, or happiness and sadness. The exact preference will depend on the style and context, but joys and sorrows is a direct translation that closely matches the Danish phrasing.
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