Om aftenen går ræven forbi teltet.

the evening

Breakdown of Om aftenen går ræven forbi teltet.

• om: in
• gå: to walk
• ræven: the fox

Questions & Answers about Om aftenen går ræven forbi teltet.

Why is går placed before ræven? I would expect the subject to come first.

This is because Danish main clauses normally follow the V2 rule: the finite verb must be in the second position.

Here, Om aftenen is placed first as a time expression, so the verb går has to come next:

• Om aftenen = first position
• går = second position
• ræven = subject, after the verb

So:

• Om aftenen går ræven forbi teltet.

If you start with the subject instead, you get:

• Ræven går forbi teltet om aftenen.

Both are grammatical, but the first one emphasizes the time.

What exactly does om aftenen mean, and how is it different from i aften?