infinitiveomlægge

The term "infinitiveomlægge" is a Danish construction that translates roughly to "infinitive rearrangement" or "infinitive inversion." It refers to a grammatical phenomenon in Danish where the infinitive form of a verb, often preceded by "at," is moved to a different position within a subordinate clause. This typically occurs when the subordinate clause begins with a conjunction like "som" (as/who/which) or "der" (who/which/that) and the main clause contains a verb that expresses a subjective evaluation or opinion.

The standard word order in a Danish subordinate clause is subject-verb-object. However, in cases of infinitiveomlægge, the infinitive verb, along with its preceding "at," is placed after the object or even at the very end of the clause. This creates a less direct and sometimes more nuanced expression. For example, instead of "Det er en bog, som jeg synes er interessant," the infinitiveomlægge structure would yield "Det er en bog, som jeg synes interessant er."

This grammatical feature is not mandatory and its use can depend on stylistic choices and the desired emphasis. While it can sound more sophisticated, incorrect usage can lead to awkward or unclear sentences. Linguists often analyze infinitiveomlægge as a way to highlight the evaluative aspect of the main verb by distancing it from the infinitive. It is primarily observed in written Danish and less frequently in casual spoken language.