Breakdown of Det lyder, som om kopimaskinen er gået i stykker igen.
være
to be
igen
again
det lyder som om
it sounds like
kopimaskinen
the photocopier
Questions & Answers about Det lyder, som om kopimaskinen er gået i stykker igen.
Why does the sentence start with Det lyder?
Det lyder means It sounds.
Here, det is a dummy subject, just like it in English It sounds like... It does not refer to a specific thing. Danish often uses det this way in weather expressions, general statements, and reactions.
So:
- Det lyder = It sounds
- Det lyder, som om ... = It sounds as if ...
What does som om mean here?
Som om means as if.
So:
- Det lyder, som om kopimaskinen er gået i stykker igen. = It sounds as if the photocopier has broken down again.
In everyday Danish, som om is a very common way to introduce something that seems to be the case based on what you hear, see, or suspect.
Examples:
- Det ser ud, som om det regner. = It looks as if it is raining.
- Det virker, som om hun er træt. = It seems as if she is tired.
Why is there a comma after lyder?
In Danish, a comma is often written before a subordinate clause, and som om kopimaskinen er gået i stykker igen is a subordinate clause.
So the comma helps mark the structure:
- main clause: Det lyder
- subordinate clause: som om kopimaskinen er gået i stykker igen
English punctuation is often lighter here, but in Danish this comma is very normal.