Breakdown of Hun er i gang med at slå et ord op, fordi hun er i tvivl om, hvilken modsætning der passer bedst.
et
a
hun
she
der
there
fordi
because
Questions & Answers about Hun er i gang med at slå et ord op, fordi hun er i tvivl om, hvilken modsætning der passer bedst.
What does er i gang med at mean?
It is a very common Danish expression meaning to be in the middle of doing something or to be busy doing something.
Structure:
- være i gang med at + infinitive
So:
- Hun er i gang med at slå et ord op = She is in the middle of looking up a word.
You can also use i gang med before a noun:
- Jeg er i gang med lektierne = I’m working on the homework.
Why is it slå et ord op? Why is op separated from slå?
Because slå op is a fixed verb expression, often called a particle verb, meaning to look up.
In Danish, these are often split when there is an object:
- slå et ord op = look up a word
- slå det op = look it up
So op belongs with slå, but it appears after the object.
Compare:
- Hun slår ordet op
- Hun vil slå ordet op
- Hun er i gang med at slå ordet op
This is completely normal in Danish.
Why does it say et ord and not ordet?