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Min mor er positiv over for idéen, fordi den passer bedre til familiens planer.

Min mor er positiv over for idéen, fordi den passer bedre til familiens planer.
My mother is positive about the idea because it fits the family’s plans better.
FromLesson 53inHardcore Danish

Questions & Answers about Min mor er positiv over for idéen, fordi den passer bedre til familiens planer.

What does positiv over for mean here?

It means positive about, favorable toward, or supportive of something.

In Danish, at være positiv over for noget is a very common pattern. It is best learned as a set expression:

  • Hun er positiv over for forslaget = She is positive about the proposal
  • Jeg er ikke positiv over for den idé = I’m not in favor of that idea

So in your sentence, er positiv over for idéen means that the mother has a favorable attitude toward the idea.

Why is it over for and not just for?

Because over for is the idiomatic combination used after positiv in this meaning.

A learner might want to say something like positiv for idéen, but that is not the normal phrasing here. In Danish, the standard expression is:

  • positiv over for noget/nogen

So you should think of over for as part of the expression, not as two separate pieces you can freely change.

Why is it idéen?

Idéen is the definite singular form of idé:

  • idé = idea
  • idéen = the idea

Danish usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word in front.

Compare:

  • en idé = an idea
  • idéen = the idea

So the ending -en is doing the job that the does in English.

Why does the sentence use den and not det?

Because idé is a common-gender noun, also called an en-word.

In Danish:

  • den is used for en-words
  • det is used for et-words

Since idé is en idé, the pronoun that refers back to it is den:

  • idéen ... den passer ...

So den means it, and it refers to idéen.

What does den refer to exactly?

It refers to idéen.

So the structure is:

  • idéen = the idea
  • den = it

That means the sentence is saying that the idea suits the family’s plans better.

What does passer til mean here?

At passe til means to fit, to suit, or to match.

It can be used for physical things:

  • Skoene passer til kjolen = The shoes go with the dress

But it is also used in a more abstract sense:

  • Det passer til vores planer = It fits our plans

So den passer bedre til familiens planer means the idea fits or suits the family’s plans better.

Why is it bedre?

Bedre means better. It is the comparative form used here.

This is similar to English, where we say good → better, not good → more good.

In Danish:

  • god = good
  • bedre = better
  • bedst = best

Here, bedre shows comparison: the idea fits the family’s plans better than some other option.

What does familiens mean?

Familiens means the family’s.

It is formed from:

  • familie = family
  • familien = the family
  • familiens = the family’s

Danish usually shows possession by adding -s, much like English:

  • mandens bil = the man’s car
  • familiens planer = the family’s plans

So familiens planer means the family’s plans.

Why is the word order fordi den passer and not fordi passer den?

Because fordi introduces a subordinate clause, and subordinate clauses normally keep the order subject + verb in Danish.

So:

  • fordi den passer bedre ...

is correct because:

  • den = subject
  • passer = verb

English learners often notice inversion in Danish main clauses, but after fordi, you usually do not invert the subject and verb.

Why is it Min mor and not min moren or something with the?

Because Danish does not use a separate definite article when there is already a possessive word like min.

So:

  • min mor = my mother

You do not say:

  • min moren

That would be like saying my the mother.

This is the same basic idea as in English: a possessive already makes the noun definite.

Is mor just mother, and could I say moder instead?

Yes, mor means mother/mum, and it is the normal everyday word.

Moder also means mother, but it sounds much more formal, old-fashioned, or literary in most contexts.

So for ordinary speech:

  • min mor = my mother / my mum

is the natural choice.

Why is there a comma before fordi?

Because fordi den passer bedre til familiens planer is a subordinate clause, and standard Danish punctuation normally places a comma before that kind of clause.

So the comma helps show the sentence structure:

  • main clause: Min mor er positiv over for idéen
  • subordinate clause: fordi den passer bedre til familiens planer

This comma is very normal in written Danish.

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