Learn Hardcore Danish: De investerer aldrig alt på én gang, fordi de vil være sikre på, at hvert projekt er godt. - They never invest everything at once, because they want to be sure that each project is good.

In Danish main clauses, the finite verb must be in second position (the V2 rule). After that, adverbs like aldrig normally come before most objects.

Word order here is:

De (subject – 1st slot)
investerer (finite verb – 2nd slot)
aldrig (mid‑position adverb)
alt (object)
på én gang (adverbial phrase)

So De investerer aldrig alt… is the natural order.
Forms like De aldrig investerer alt… or De investerer alt aldrig… are ungrammatical or at least very unnatural in standard Danish.

What does på én gang literally mean, and why is there an accent on én?

Literally, på én gang is “in/at one time”, and as an idiom it means “at once / in one go / all at the same time.”

The accent in én has a specific function:

en (no accent) = the indefinite article “a / an” or a non‑stressed “one”
én (with accent) = “one, and not more than one” (emphasized, the numeral)

So:

på én gang = “in one single go / all at once” (emphatic “one”)

The accent is often left out in everyday writing, but it is helpful here to make clear that it’s the number one, not just the article en.

Why do we say de vil være sikre på and not just de er sikre på?

There is a meaning difference:

de er sikre på, at … = “they are sure that …” (a present state)
de vil være sikre på, at … = literally “they will be / want to be sure that …”

In context, de vil være sikre på, at … is best translated as:

“they want to be sure that …”
“they want to make sure that …”

So the sentence means:

They never invest everything at once, because they want to be sure that each project is good.

Using vil være adds the idea of intention or goal, not just a current state.

Why is it sikre and not sikker in de vil være sikre på?

Danish adjectives generally agree with the noun (or pronoun) they describe:

Common gender singular: sikker
Neuter singular: sikkert
Plural (both genders): sikre

Here the subject is de (they) = plural, so the adjective must be in the plural form:

De er sikre. – They are sure.
Han er sikker. – He is sure.
Projektet er sikkert. – The project is safe/sure.

So de vil være sikre på is grammatically required because de is plural.

Why do we say sikre på, at …? What does på do here?

Sikker på is an idiomatic adjective + preposition combination, roughly like “sure of / sure that” in English.

Structure:

være sikker/sikre på noget = to be sure of something
være sikker/sikre på, at … = to be sure that …

The preposition på is simply required by the adjective sikker in this meaning. You cannot leave it out:

✔ De er sikre på, at hvert projekt er godt.
✘ De er sikre, at hvert projekt er godt. (wrong in Danish)

Why is there a comma before fordi? Is it always needed?

The comma before fordi marks the beginning of a subordinate clause (a dependent clause giving a reason).

Danish actually has two accepted comma systems:

Grammatical comma (traditional, very common in practice):
- Comma before almost all subordinate clauses, including fordi and at.
- Under this system, the comma in the sentence is correct and expected.
New comma (alternative system):
- Often no comma before many subordinate clauses.
- With this system, you might write the sentence without the comma before fordi.

Since many Danes still use the grammatical comma, as a learner it is perfectly safe (and often easier) to put a comma before fordi when it introduces a subordinate clause.

Why is there a comma before at in sikre på, at hvert projekt er godt?

Here at hvert projekt er godt is another subordinate clause, functioning as the content of what they are sure about:

være sikre på, at … = be sure that …

Under the grammatical comma system (the most straightforward for learners), you put a comma before such at‑clauses:

Han siger, at han kommer. – He says that he is coming.
Jeg tror, at det er rigtigt. – I think that it is correct.
De vil være sikre på, at hvert projekt er godt.

In the new comma system, the comma before at is often omitted, but using it is still very common and always accepted.

Why is it hvert projekt and not hver projekt?

In Danish, hver and hvert agree with the gender of the noun:

hver = “each / every” with common gender nouns (en‑words)
hvert = “each / every” with neuter nouns (et‑words)

The noun projekt is neuter: et projekt. Therefore:

hvert projekt – each project (correct)
hver projekt – incorrect, because hver would need a common‑gender noun.

Compare:

hver bil – each car (bil = en bil, common gender)
hvert hus – each house (hus = et hus, neuter)
hvert projekt – each project (projekt = et projekt, neuter)

Why do we say er godt and not er gode or er god?

The adjective god (“good”) must agree with the noun in number and gender:

Common gender singular: god
Neuter singular: godt
Plural (both genders): gode

Here, projekt is neuter singular (et projekt), so the correct form is:

Projektet er godt. – The project is good.
Hvert projekt er godt. – Every project is good.

If it were plural, you would say:

Projekterne er gode. – The projects are good.
Alle projekter er gode. – All projects are good.

Why is investerer in the present tense? Does it mean present or future?

Danish uses the present tense very broadly, just like English:

De investerer aldrig alt på én gang
= They never invest everything at once
(a general habit, not just right now)

If you want a clear future meaning, you often add vil or a time expression:

De vil ikke investere alt på én gang i morgen.
– They will not invest everything at once tomorrow.

In this sentence, the present tense simply describes a general policy / habitual behaviour, which matches normal English usage.

What is the basic word order difference between the main clause and the at‑clause?

Main clause:

De investerer aldrig alt på én gang
- Subject: De
- Finite verb (2nd position): investerer
- Adverb: aldrig
- Object + adverbials: alt på én gang

Subordinate at‑clause:

at hvert projekt er godt
- Subordinating conjunction: at
- Subject: hvert projekt
- Finite verb: er
- Complement: godt

Key point:

In main clauses Danish follows V2: the finite verb is in second position.
In subordinate clauses introduced by at, fordi, når, hvis, etc., the conjunction comes first, then the subject, then (usually) the finite verb:
[conjunction] + [subject] + [verb] + …

So:

Main: De investerer aldrig alt …
Subordinate: … at hvert projekt er godt.