Breakdown of Det lyder, som om kopimaskinen stadig virker, men skemaet til kurset kommer først i morgen.
men
but
stadig
still
til
for
komme
to come
virke
to work
det lyder som om
it sounds like
skemaet
the schedule
kopimaskinen
the photocopier
kurset
the course
først i morgen
not until tomorrow
Questions & Answers about Det lyder, som om kopimaskinen stadig virker, men skemaet til kurset kommer først i morgen.
Why does the sentence begin with Det lyder?
In Danish, det is often a dummy subject, just like it in English. So Det lyder... means It sounds... even though det does not point to one specific object. This is a very common pattern with verbs like lyde, se ud, and virke.
What does som om mean here?
Som om means as if or like. It introduces the idea that something appears or sounds to be the case. So Det lyder, som om... is a standard way to say It sounds as if....
Why is there a comma before som om?
Because som om kopimaskinen stadig virker is a subordinate clause. Danish normally uses a comma before subordinate clauses, and also before coordinating conjunctions like men. So the commas in this sentence are normal Danish punctuation.
Why is it kopimaskinen and not a separate word for the copier?
In Danish, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun. So kopimaskine means copier/photocopier, and kopimaskinen means the copier/the photocopier. This is one of the big differences from English.
Why do we get skemaet and kurset with -et, but kopimaskinen with -en?
Because Danish nouns have grammatical gender. Kopimaskine is a common-gender noun, so the definite singular ending is -en: kopimaskinen. Skema and kursus are neuter nouns, so the definite singular ending is -et: skemaet, kurset.
Why is the word order kopimaskinen stadig virker instead of kopimaskinen virker stadig?
After som om, you are in a subordinate clause, and Danish word order changes. In a main clause, you would normally say Kopimaskinen virker stadig. In the subordinate clause, stadig comes before the finite verb, giving som om kopimaskinen stadig virker.
What does stadig mean?
Stadig means still. It shows that the situation continues. So here it tells you that the copier continues to work.
What does virker mean in this sentence?
Here virker means works or functions. Danish virke can have several meanings depending on context, but with a machine it usually means that it is operating properly. So it is about the copier being functional.
Why does Danish use til in skemaet til kurset?
Here til means something like for. So skemaet til kurset means the schedule/form for the course. Danish often uses til in places where English would prefer for.
Could Danish also say kursets skema instead?
Yes, that is possible, because Danish can also express possession with -s. But skemaet til kurset often sounds more natural when the meaning is the schedule for the course rather than strict ownership. The til construction is very common for this kind of relationship.
What does først i morgen mean exactly?
In time expressions, først often means not until rather than first. So kommer først i morgen means that tomorrow is the earliest time it will come or be available. This is a very common use of først in Danish.
Why is kommer used with skemaet?
Danish often uses komme for things that arrive, become available, or are sent out. So skemaet kommer først i morgen can mean the schedule will arrive tomorrow, be released tomorrow, or only be available tomorrow. English often uses a more specific verb, but Danish komme is very flexible.
Why is the verb virker in the present tense after som om?
Because Danish usually keeps the ordinary tense that matches the situation. If the idea is that the copier seems to work now, virker is natural. Danish does not use a special subjunctive form the way English sometimes does in sentences like as if it still worked.
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