lykkes

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /løkəs/, [ˈløɡ̊əs]

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Middle Low German lucken (“to succeed”), a cognate of German glücken (“to succeed”). Norwegian Bokmål lykkes and Swedish lyckas are also borrowed from Low German. The verb is derived from the noun Middle Low German (ge)lucke (“happiness, good luck”) (Danish lykke, German Glück).

Verb

lykkes (past lykkedes, past participle lykkedes)

1. (deponent, intransitive) to be a success, be successful, succeed in (with a noun phrase or a noun clause as its subject and the person succeeding as an indirect object)

   Missionen lykkedes!

   The mission was a success!

   Det lykkedes hende at vinde en medalje.

   She succeeded in winning a medal.

2. (deponent, proscribed, with the preposition med) to succeed in (governing a noun phrase or a noun clause, with the person succeeding as the subject)
   • 2014, Steen Hildebrandt, Vækst og bæredygtighed, Libris Media A/S, →ISBN, page 50:

     Og eftertiden vil undre sig over, hvordan vi lykkedes med det – ligesom vi i dag undrer os over, hvordan man byggede pyramiderne – og udviklede velfærdssamfundet.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2010, Thomas Larsen, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, I orkanens øje: samtaler med statsminister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Gyldendal A/S, →ISBN, page 131:

     Det er vi lykkedes med.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2013, Anders Samuelsen, Hanne Sindbæk, Comeback Kid, Art People, →ISBN:

     Jeg havde hele tiden haft bevidstheden om, at hvis vi lykkedes med vores projekt, ...

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Usage notes

Some prescribe that the subject of lykkes should be the activity and not the agent, such that constructions like vi lykkedes med at... should be rephrased as e.g. det lykkedes os at...

Conjugation

Inflection of lykkes

	present	past
simple	lykkes	lykkedes
perfect	er lykkedes	var lykkedes
passive	—	—
participle	-	lykkedes
imperative	-	—
infinitive	lykkes	—
auxiliary verb	være	—
gerund	—	—

Derived terms

• mislykkes (“to fail”)

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

lykkes c

1. indefinite genitive singular of lykke

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Middle Low German lucken.

Pronunciation

• Audio (dialect: Oslo)

  (file)

Verb

lykkes (imperative and present tense lykkes, simple past lyktes, past participle lykkes or lyktes)

1. to prove a success, succeed

References

• “lykkes” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “lykkes” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).