Questions & Answers about Kniven er så skarp at jeg skjærer raskt på skjærebrettet.
What does the construction så … at do here?
It’s a result clause: så + adjective/adverb + at + clause = “so … that …”.
Pattern: så skarp at … = “so sharp that …”.
Other examples:
- Den er så dyr at jeg venter. = “It’s so expensive that I’m waiting.”
- Han snakker så fort at jeg ikke forstår. = “He speaks so fast that I don’t understand.”
Why is it at and not å?
- at = the conjunction “that,” introducing a clause: … at jeg skjærer …
- å = the infinitive marker “to,” used before a verb: å skjære = “to cut.”
Quick test: If you can replace it with “that,” use at; if with “to (do something),” use å.
Why is it raskt and not rask?
Raskt is the adverb form of the adjective rask. In Norwegian, many adjectives form adverbs by adding -t:
- rask (fast, adj) → raskt (quickly, adv)
- langsom (slow) → langsomt (slowly)
Some adverbs are irregular, e.g., god → godt, and some are invariable, e.g., fort (fast/quickly).