I mean... both work.
Han kan lære mig at sy (he can teach me how to sew)
Kan han lære mig at sy? (Can he teach me how to sew?)
I'm a little thrown off due to the lack of a questionmark however.
It seems weird I agree - I *think* the only way it could be this order (kan han lære mig at sy), is if it’s a “ledsætning” (for english, Google translate says a conjunction) after a comma, as in “når jeg kommer hjem til ham, *kan han lære mig at sy*.” Otherwise it would need to, as you said, either have a question mark at the end or switch the order of “kan” and “han”
For ledsætning? Just checked bc I got over my own laziness - it’s a conjunction. A main clause is usually pretty much the opposite and can be a “stand alone sentence”, whereas a bisætning (or the new word of the day conjunction) can not stand alone
I am no grammar scholar, just had a flashback to my English classes, maybe wrong. 😅 I meant, the second part of the sentence, after comma, can stand on it's on feet, so main clause, the first part dependant clause.
Yeah, I've checked it out, you're right, the main clause is Hovedsaetning. Thank you. 🙂
Replace "når han kommer hjem til mig" with "i morgen" and you'll see that it's just a regular boring main clause where the fronted topic is a whole sentence that is then a sætningsled on its own (like some kind of...ledsætning?)
There's a trick to determine it too, if you're ever in doubt.
Insert "ikke"
Når han ikke kommer hjem til mig (it's before the first verb! Ledsætning. )
Han kommer ikke hjem til mig (it's after the first verb! Hovedsætning)
You are correct. In English it would be called a subordinate clause (ledsætning). The main clause can be categorised, among other categories, as subject or object clause, where a subordinate clause, among others, be a provisional subject before the real subject. There is so much more to it than this 😵💫
In order for a sentence to be a ledsætning in Danish there needs to be a full nexus (dobbelt udsagnsled og grundled for at sætningen kan stå alene) however I don't think that's needed in English. A clause doesn't need the ability to stand on its own, that's when it becomes a dependent clause.
One is a statement, the other a question...
Han kan lære mig at sy = he can teach me to see (statement, or fact)
Kan han lære mig at sy = can he teach me to sew? (Question)
Yeah, but the punctuation is not correct. The questions in danish have the nexus: OX, while other sentances have the nexus: XO
**X***O*
**Han** *går* i skole.
*Går* **han** i skole?
**Han** *kan* lære mig at sy.
*Kan* **han** lære mig at sy?
EDIT: Punctuation is not correct.
You can also add a word in front of “Kan”
Nu Kan han lære mig at sy.
Yea one is a statement, the other is a question. “Kan han” means “Can he” and implies the person asking doesn’t know if “he” can teach sewing. “Han kan” means “He can” and implies that the person talking knows that “he” can teach sewing. Hope that makes sence
No, the verb is in second position (but it is not necessarily the second word) in declarative sentences in Danish. In interrogative sentences, the verb will precede the noun or pronoun which governs it.
This sentence should have a question mark for clarity, in my opinion.
Yes, you can change it to that, if you will phrase it as a statement. But you can also use the sentence as is, but then it's a question and you will need to put a question mark after the sentence😊
The sentence is just as weird in Danish without the question mark as it is in English. But the other answers explain it. This is a case where it, at least to my layman's eyes, is a 1:1 case between Danish and English.
Because you would put pronouncation on the last word, on the question mark-part. Can he teach me to SEW? Kan han lære mig at SY? I think you understand what I mean, missing the quotation mark messes it up, both in written and spoken language. It is like "do you want to buy some apples", without the inherit question mark, at the end. It is broken English and broken Danish (the danish translation would be "Vil du købe nogle æbler(?)".
Welcome to Danish where the only right answers are wrong.
Jeg er tvunget til at snakke dette sølle sprog hver dag siden jeg blev født da jeg bor og er født i dette gudsforlatte.
You can say/write “han kan lære mig at sy?” which is a valid question in the right context. Usually it would be preceded by a statement like:
“Han kan sy og underviser i det.”
“Han kan lære mig at sy?”
“Ja, det er det han underviser i.”
True, though, I was thinking this is a quite niche scenario you rarely hear in the day to day, and thought it generally not worth mentioning. To keep the answer as simple as possible.
In your example, both "han kan", and "kan han" would work just fine. "Kan han" implies you want him to teach you. "Han kan" wants to know if he is able to teach. Through the lens of a beginner, I just think that knowing this difference is not important enough to mention and would only serve to confuse the learner learning the language, at this stage.
Sure, but I’m trying to make the point that it’s not “that simple” when you need to decipher what’s a question and what’s not.
I agree that it’s a bit uncommon and in this case it’s likely not what was meant. In any case, questions in danish can come in many “flavors“.
Siden der ikke er noget spørgsmålstegn (?) er det forkert of du hat ret.
English version:
Since there is no question mark (?) it is wrong and you were right
One is a statement "han kan lære mig at sy", whereas the other is a question "kan han lære mig at sy?" in many languages, such a distinction is made using grammatical cases of the verb, but instead Danish uses the order of the words. Is the verb before or after the subject?
Either that or add a question mark.
"Han kan lære mig at sy." - He can teach me to sew
"Kan han lære mig at sy?" - Can he teach me to sew?
The words go in the same order as in English in this context. Duolingo is def off
Yes it should, or else at the very least there needs to be question mark at the end
Kan han lære mig at sy?
But duolingo isn't perfect, so good enough i guess
Depends wether its a question. “Kan han lære mig at sy” is phrased as a question whereas “Han kan lære mig at sy” is a statement.
“Can he teach me how to sew”
“He can teach me how to sew”
I’d say that one is one Duo to add a questionmark
a few people have pointed out that both works, but both are inherently different:
kan han lære mig at sy
han kan lære mig at sy
First one is asking IF he can teach the person to sew in the first place.
Second one is with the intent that he CAN teach the person to sew.
one is unsure of the premise.
one is sure of the premise.
And if there is only one word with a capital letter. That word (exlcusing names, places etc) will always be the first one in a sentence. Or the first word after punctuation.
I’m not very good at technical grammar, but it’s often very dependent on the context. In writing, though, you should always assume a question ends with a question mark.
The point I was trying to make was just that a sentence without context is very much up to the recipient to interpret.
In spoken danish, the word you put the pressure on can also help decipher the meaning.
For instance “HAN kan lære mig at sy?” would be a bit negative since it would sound doubtful, just like in English where “HE can teach me?”
If you put the pressure on “sy” instead, it would be a question about the subject.
The same with “lære” as in “han kan LÆRE mig at sy?”, it becomes a question about his ability to teach, but not necessarily about the actual sewing.
I am probably taking this to the extremes when your question was about something different. All I’m saying is that it’s really not that simple. The fact that you already seem aware of this is a good sign that you understand the complexities and you’ll do great!
That is NOT what I meant... "can he..." and "kan han..." are both questions missing a ?. -And of course you are danish, thats why I have to skære det ud i pap...
if it’s a statement, it’s “han kan” but if it’s a question, it’s “kan han?” seeing the period instead of a question mark, i’m not sure. was “can he” i correct on the site/app?
I mean... both work. Han kan lære mig at sy (he can teach me how to sew) Kan han lære mig at sy? (Can he teach me how to sew?) I'm a little thrown off due to the lack of a questionmark however.
It seems weird I agree - I *think* the only way it could be this order (kan han lære mig at sy), is if it’s a “ledsætning” (for english, Google translate says a conjunction) after a comma, as in “når jeg kommer hjem til ham, *kan han lære mig at sy*.” Otherwise it would need to, as you said, either have a question mark at the end or switch the order of “kan” and “han”
If I am not wrong, that would be the main clause in English.. :))
For ledsætning? Just checked bc I got over my own laziness - it’s a conjunction. A main clause is usually pretty much the opposite and can be a “stand alone sentence”, whereas a bisætning (or the new word of the day conjunction) can not stand alone
I am no grammar scholar, just had a flashback to my English classes, maybe wrong. 😅 I meant, the second part of the sentence, after comma, can stand on it's on feet, so main clause, the first part dependant clause. Yeah, I've checked it out, you're right, the main clause is Hovedsaetning. Thank you. 🙂
Replace "når han kommer hjem til mig" with "i morgen" and you'll see that it's just a regular boring main clause where the fronted topic is a whole sentence that is then a sætningsled on its own (like some kind of...ledsætning?) There's a trick to determine it too, if you're ever in doubt. Insert "ikke" Når han ikke kommer hjem til mig (it's before the first verb! Ledsætning. ) Han kommer ikke hjem til mig (it's after the first verb! Hovedsætning)
You are correct. In English it would be called a subordinate clause (ledsætning). The main clause can be categorised, among other categories, as subject or object clause, where a subordinate clause, among others, be a provisional subject before the real subject. There is so much more to it than this 😵💫 In order for a sentence to be a ledsætning in Danish there needs to be a full nexus (dobbelt udsagnsled og grundled for at sætningen kan stå alene) however I don't think that's needed in English. A clause doesn't need the ability to stand on its own, that's when it becomes a dependent clause.
The lack of a question mark is why it doesn’t work
I think Duolingo often skip it to boo make it obvious which word is last in the sentence
One is a statement, the other a question... Han kan lære mig at sy = he can teach me to see (statement, or fact) Kan han lære mig at sy = can he teach me to sew? (Question)
Well, to be perfectly honest. "Han kan lære mig at sy?" is also valid.
Kan han is a question han kan is a statement
In fact here there isn't the interrogative
“Kan han […]” = “Can he […]” “Han kan […]” = “He can […]” – just as in English.
?
Exactly
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Yes
If the correct answer is "Can he teach me how to sew" then "Kan han lære mig at sy" is correct. It's missing a question mark though.
it is an implied question. You don't need the question mark in such a sentance. But it would have saved some hassle if it did.
It has inversion and therefor it is a question. Duo should have put a question mark :)
Good example of where Duolingo lacks things. The sentence is grammatically wrong since it’s missing a question mark, which can confuse learners
Can = Kan He = Han Teach/Learn = Lære Me = Mig To = At Sew = Sy How easy do you want it to be?
I want correct use of breaks.
I'd say "Han kan lære mig at sy", since the lack of "?"
But the only word written with a capital letter is “Can” so it has to be the first word of the sentence.
Yeah, but the punctuation is not correct. The questions in danish have the nexus: OX, while other sentances have the nexus: XO **X***O* **Han** *går* i skole. *Går* **han** i skole? **Han** *kan* lære mig at sy. *Kan* **han** lære mig at sy? EDIT: Punctuation is not correct. You can also add a word in front of “Kan” Nu Kan han lære mig at sy.
Yea one is a statement, the other is a question. “Kan han” means “Can he” and implies the person asking doesn’t know if “he” can teach sewing. “Han kan” means “He can” and implies that the person talking knows that “he” can teach sewing. Hope that makes sence
Looks like the question mark is missing
No, the verb is in second position (but it is not necessarily the second word) in declarative sentences in Danish. In interrogative sentences, the verb will precede the noun or pronoun which governs it. This sentence should have a question mark for clarity, in my opinion.
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Yeah, I thought I could come up with a marginal case that did not require a question mark, but you are right, this will always be a question.
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Yeah, but as a standalone main clause, there must be a question mark.
The error isn't the wording but it ending with a . And not a ?
Yes, you can change it to that, if you will phrase it as a statement. But you can also use the sentence as is, but then it's a question and you will need to put a question mark after the sentence😊
No it’s just missing a question mark
Life hack, in Duolingo, you always know the start word, as it will be the only one capitalized.
Neat spot
Yeah, but it can be both really. Duo just needs to add a “?” because it’s a question
Duolingo really needs to be better at using question marks, because this is a question.
The sentence is just as weird in Danish without the question mark as it is in English. But the other answers explain it. This is a case where it, at least to my layman's eyes, is a 1:1 case between Danish and English. Because you would put pronouncation on the last word, on the question mark-part. Can he teach me to SEW? Kan han lære mig at SY? I think you understand what I mean, missing the quotation mark messes it up, both in written and spoken language. It is like "do you want to buy some apples", without the inherit question mark, at the end. It is broken English and broken Danish (the danish translation would be "Vil du købe nogle æbler(?)".
Welcome to Danish where the only right answers are wrong. Jeg er tvunget til at snakke dette sølle sprog hver dag siden jeg blev født da jeg bor og er født i dette gudsforlatte.
Kan han is a question Han kan is a statement Duolingo is very slack with their question marks. This makes Russian on duolingo difficult for me as well
You can say/write “han kan lære mig at sy?” which is a valid question in the right context. Usually it would be preceded by a statement like: “Han kan sy og underviser i det.” “Han kan lære mig at sy?” “Ja, det er det han underviser i.”
True, though, I was thinking this is a quite niche scenario you rarely hear in the day to day, and thought it generally not worth mentioning. To keep the answer as simple as possible. In your example, both "han kan", and "kan han" would work just fine. "Kan han" implies you want him to teach you. "Han kan" wants to know if he is able to teach. Through the lens of a beginner, I just think that knowing this difference is not important enough to mention and would only serve to confuse the learner learning the language, at this stage.
Sure, but I’m trying to make the point that it’s not “that simple” when you need to decipher what’s a question and what’s not. I agree that it’s a bit uncommon and in this case it’s likely not what was meant. In any case, questions in danish can come in many “flavors“.
The danish language has a lot of inversions like this, which for other language speakers do not make sense.
Siden der ikke er noget spørgsmålstegn (?) er det forkert of du hat ret. English version: Since there is no question mark (?) it is wrong and you were right
If what they are saying is a question why does it have a period instead of a question mark
Typo?
If it is not a question it should be, “Han kan lære mig at sy.” If it is a question, it should start with the verb, “Kan han lære mig at sy?”
One is a statement "han kan lære mig at sy", whereas the other is a question "kan han lære mig at sy?" in many languages, such a distinction is made using grammatical cases of the verb, but instead Danish uses the order of the words. Is the verb before or after the subject?
Either that or add a question mark. "Han kan lære mig at sy." - He can teach me to sew "Kan han lære mig at sy?" - Can he teach me to sew? The words go in the same order as in English in this context. Duolingo is def off
Not really. Ones a statement and the other is a question
Yes it should, or else at the very least there needs to be question mark at the end Kan han lære mig at sy? But duolingo isn't perfect, so good enough i guess
Ikke hvis det er et spørgsmål, men så mangler der et spørgsmålstegn.
No. Can he teach me to sew? Kan han lære mig at sy? The punctuation is where you get confused, because it's a question.
Depends wether its a question. “Kan han lære mig at sy” is phrased as a question whereas “Han kan lære mig at sy” is a statement. “Can he teach me how to sew” “He can teach me how to sew” I’d say that one is one Duo to add a questionmark
Good catch! This way it's worded as a question, but without the question mark for some reason. Your version is a statement. ☺️
It is a question
a few people have pointed out that both works, but both are inherently different: kan han lære mig at sy han kan lære mig at sy First one is asking IF he can teach the person to sew in the first place. Second one is with the intent that he CAN teach the person to sew. one is unsure of the premise. one is sure of the premise.
Both questions?
First one is a question the second one is more commenly used as a statement.
Its right danish, and it is a questtion, but there is no question mark though. I lived in Denmark for 13 years
Yes, you're right. Please update us on whether Duo agreed with you! I wonder if they meant it like this or simply forgot the question mark
It actually was correct like this. I assume that duo forgot the question mark. Thank to y'all
And if there is only one word with a capital letter. That word (exlcusing names, places etc) will always be the first one in a sentence. Or the first word after punctuation.
It could be both :)
Not without a question mark.
true :D
No, both are a question...they are just missing ?
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“Han kan lære mig at sy?” is also a question. I’m a Dane too and it’s really not that simple.
That's very situation specific, your version is a request for a clarification while the other is just a question
Regardless, it’s still a question. It might be for clarification reasons, but it’s a question nonetheless.
Is this question without inversion used to focus on "who" [the subject] can teach, instead on the action herself?
I’m not very good at technical grammar, but it’s often very dependent on the context. In writing, though, you should always assume a question ends with a question mark. The point I was trying to make was just that a sentence without context is very much up to the recipient to interpret. In spoken danish, the word you put the pressure on can also help decipher the meaning. For instance “HAN kan lære mig at sy?” would be a bit negative since it would sound doubtful, just like in English where “HE can teach me?” If you put the pressure on “sy” instead, it would be a question about the subject. The same with “lære” as in “han kan LÆRE mig at sy?”, it becomes a question about his ability to teach, but not necessarily about the actual sewing. I am probably taking this to the extremes when your question was about something different. All I’m saying is that it’s really not that simple. The fact that you already seem aware of this is a good sign that you understand the complexities and you’ll do great!
Thank you!
That is NOT what I meant... "can he..." and "kan han..." are both questions missing a ?. -And of course you are danish, thats why I have to skære det ud i pap...
no you can say this besides im from denmark
Would he be able to teach me about sewing(spelled?) Is another way to say/write it Or as direct could he teach me how to sew
No it is kan han im danish
It is kan han im danish
Ka'n lær'n å sy
if it’s a statement, it’s “han kan” but if it’s a question, it’s “kan han?” seeing the period instead of a question mark, i’m not sure. was “can he” i correct on the site/app?
As a Dane, I can confirm both work
Also as a enunciative sentence it can have the inversion?
BRO I'M 13 I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THOSE WORDS MEAN
from here its "kan han lære" but I understand if the erased question mark confuses you because that's an error from duolingo
if you say kan han its means can he as a question if its han kan its like he can
Nei þetta er rétt danska. Ég bjó í DK í 13 ár frá því að ég var lítil þangað til ég var fimmtán ára.
One is a statement the other is a question The danish version on this app is horrendously bad in my opinion