Word
Hun bruger næsten et kvarter på at vælge brød i bageriet.
Meaning
She spends almost a quarter of an hour choosing bread in the bakery.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Questions & Answers about Hun bruger næsten et kvarter på at vælge brød i bageriet.
Why does bruger mean spends here? I thought bruge meant to use.
That is a very common point of confusion.
Bruge does often mean to use, but it can also mean to spend, especially with time or money.
So in this sentence:
- Hun bruger næsten et kvarter ...
- literally: She uses almost a quarter of an hour ...
- naturally: She spends almost fifteen minutes ...
This is a normal Danish pattern:
- bruge tid på noget / på at gøre noget = spend time on something / doing something
- bruge penge på noget = spend money on something
So bruger is just the present tense of bruge.
What does et kvarter mean exactly?
Et kvarter means a quarter of an hour, so 15 minutes.
A few useful time expressions:
- et kvarter = a quarter of an hour = 15 minutes
- en halv time = half an hour = 30 minutes
- tre kvarter = three quarters of an hour = 45 minutes
Why et? Because kvarter is a neuter noun in this meaning.
So:
- et kvarter
- kvarteret = the quarter-hour / the 15-minute period
Why is it på at vælge? Why not just at vælge?