få lov til at

Be Allowed to (Få Lov Til at)

Level 3

The phrase få lov til at + infinitive means 'to be allowed to' or 'to get permission to.' It focuses on the act of being granted permission rather than just the state of having it.

How It Works

The expression få lov til at is a very common way to express permission in Danish. Here is how it works:

  • Conjugation: The verb få must be conjugated for the tense you need: får (present), fik (past), or har fået (perfect).
  • Structure: It typically follows the pattern: [Subject] + [få] + lov + til + at + [infinitive verb]. However, the til at + infinitive part can be omitted if the action is already clear from the context (e.g., "Det får du lov til").
  • Nuance: It often implies a change—that you asked for permission and received it. For example, 'Jeg fik lov til at gå tidligt' implies you were granted the right to leave early.
  • Få vs. Have: While få lov til focuses on the act of receiving permission, have lov til describes the state of already having permission or the right to do something.
  • Politeness: In questions, adding få lov til at makes a request sound softer and more polite: 'Må jeg få lov til at...?' (May I be allowed to...?).

In spoken Danish, the sequence til at is often pronounced very quickly, sounding like 'te å'.

Examples (4)

  1. Børnene fik lov til at se film i går.

    The children were allowed to watch a movie yesterday.

    Word by Word: The children got permission to to see film in yesterday.

    Here, 'fik' (past tense of få) shows that the permission was granted in the past.

  2. Må jeg få lov til at låne din cykel?

    May I be allowed to borrow your bike?

    Word by Word: May I get permission to to borrow your bike?

    Combining 'må' with 'få lov til at' is a very polite way to ask for permission.

  3. Vi får lov til at komme ind gratis.

    We are allowed to get in for free.

    Word by Word: We get permission to to come in free.

    This uses the present tense 'får' to describe a current or general permission.

  4. Hun har endelig fået lov til at rejse.

    She has finally been allowed to travel.

    Word by Word: She has finally gotten permission to to travel.

    This uses the perfect tense 'har fået' to show the result of receiving permission.

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting 'til' or 'at' before the infinitive.

    Jeg fik lov gå tidligt.
    Jeg fik lov til at gå tidligt.

    Unlike modal verbs, this phrase requires the full 'til at' construction before the following verb.

  • Confusing 'får' (verb) with 'for' (preposition).

    Jeg for lov til at spise kage.
    Jeg får lov til at spise kage.

    Even though they sound similar, 'får' is the present tense of the verb 'at få' (to get), while 'for' is a preposition.

How It Connects

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få lov til atLevel 3Be Allowed to (Få Lov Til at)

Learn This First

To understand 'få lov til at', you need to be familiar with the verb 'få' (to get), the use of the preposition 'til', and how to form infinitive phrases using the marker 'at'.

Words in This Pattern

fålovtilat