Dit bedste valg er at invitere vennerne, slukke lyset i gangen og kun tænde det, når de ankommer.

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Breakdown of Dit bedste valg er at invitere vennerne, slukke lyset i gangen og kun tænde det, når de ankommer.

• i: in
• være: to be
• når: when
• at: to
• det: it
• ankomme: to arrive
• vennen: the friend
• gangen: the hallway
• lyset: the light
• slukke: to turn off
• tænde: to turn on
• valget: the choice
• bedste: best
• invitere: to invite
• kun: only
• de: they

Questions & Answers about Dit bedste valg er at invitere vennerne, slukke lyset i gangen og kun tænde det, når de ankommer.

What does dit bedste valg mean, and why is dit used here?

Dit bedste valg translates to "your best choice". The word dit is the neuter form of the possessive adjective "your" in Danish, which is used because valg (choice) is a neuter noun.

Why is the infinitive marker at used only once even though there are several verbs (invitere, slukke, tænde) in the sentence?

In Danish, when multiple infinitive verbs are coordinated in a sentence, it is common to use the marker at only once before the first verb. The remaining verbs share the same infinitive structure, so repeating at is unnecessary.

What does the pronoun det refer to in the phrase kun tænde det?

The pronoun det refers back to lyset i gangen (the light in the hallway). It stands in for lyset to avoid repeating the noun when describing the action of turning it on.

How are the three actions in the sentence connected, and what punctuation is used?

The sentence connects three coordinated infinitive phrases: inviting your friends, turning off the light in the hallway, and only turning it on when they arrive. They are separated by commas and joined by the conjunction og (which means and). This structure clearly lists the sequential actions that make up the best choice.

What is the function of når de ankommer in the sentence?

The phrase når de ankommer means "when they arrive". It functions as a time clause that specifies the condition for when you should turn on the light, indicating that the light should remain off until your friends have arrived.

Why is kun placed before tænde, and what does it emphasize in this context?

In Danish, adverbs typically precede the verb they modify. Here, kun means "only" and is positioned before tænde (turn on) to emphasize that the action of turning on the light should happen exclusively when the friends arrive—not before.