Jeg forstår emnet bedre, når læreren forklarer.

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Breakdown of Jeg forstår emnet bedre, når læreren forklarer.

• når: when
• forstå: to understand
• bedre: better
• læreren: the teacher
• emnet: the topic
• forklare: to explain

Questions & Answers about Jeg forstår emnet bedre, når læreren forklarer.

Why is there a comma before "når læreren forklarer" in the sentence?

In Danish, subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions like når are typically set off from the main clause with a comma. This punctuation helps separate the main idea (Jeg forstår emnet bedre) from the time clause describing when the main action occurs.

Why does the subordinate clause "når læreren forklarer" use subject-verb order instead of the verb-second (V2) structure seen in main clauses?

In Danish, the V2 word order applies to main clauses. However, when you have a subordinate clause—introduced by conjunctions such as når—the sentence reverts to a standard subject-verb-object order. That’s why you see læreren forklarer without the inversion that characterizes main clauses.

How are the definite forms in emnet and læreren formed, and how do they compare to English?

Danish often expresses definite articles by adding a suffix to the noun. For example, et emne (a topic) becomes emnet (the topic), and en lærer (a teacher) becomes læreren (the teacher). Unlike English, which uses a separate word (the), Danish attaches the definite article directly to the noun.

What tense are the verbs forstår and forklarer, and why do they not change form for different subjects?

Both verbs are in the present tense. In Danish, the present tense form is used uniformly for different subjects without changing the verb ending. This means that whether the subject is jeg (I) or læreren (the teacher), the verb form remains the same.

Why is the adverb bedre placed after the object emnet in the sentence?

The placement of bedre (better) following emnet is a standard word order in Danish. Here, bedre modifies the verb forstår by indicating the manner in which the topic is understood. Placing it after the object is common in Danish and emphasizes that the improved understanding is specifically about the topic.