Basic requests and instructions | Learn Danish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Kom venligst ind.

   Please come inside.

   Kom

   come

   venligst

   please

   ind

   inside

   More detail

   Kom is the imperative form of komme, “to come.” It addresses one or more people; Danish uses the same form here for singular and plural addressees. Example: Kom her! — “Come here!” venligst is a polite word meaning “please.” It can soften a request without changing the requested action. Example: Vent venligst. — “Please wait.” ind means “inside” or “inward” and indicates movement into an interior space. In Kom ... ind, it combines with the movement verb to mean “come inside.” It is different from inde, which describes being inside rather than moving inside. Example: Gå ind. — “Go inside.” Together, Kom venligst ind. is a polite imperative: “Please come inside.” The addressee is asked to move inward, and venligst makes the request polite.

2. Sæt dig venligst her.

   Please sit here.

   Sæt dig

   sit down

   venligst

   please

   her

   here

   More detail

   Sæt dig means “sit down.” It is the imperative construction from sætte sig (“to sit down”): sæt is the command form of sætte, and dig is the reflexive pronoun referring to the person being addressed. Danish uses the reflexive form because the addressed person is the one who sits. Example: Sæt dig på stolen. — “Sit down on the chair.” venligst adds “please” and softens the command. It is an adverb commonly used in polite requests, often placed after the requested action. Example: Vent venligst. — “Please wait.” her means “here,” referring to the place associated with the speaker or the current situation. It is a location word and does not change for person or number. Example: Kom her. — “Come here.” Together, Sæt dig + venligst + her gives “Please sit here.” The utterance is a polite request directed at one person: the person is asked to sit down in the indicated place.

3. Vent venligst her.

   Please wait here.

   Vent

   wait

   venligst

   please

   her

   here

   More detail

   Vent is the imperative form of vente, “to wait.” It addresses one or more people without showing a difference in this form for singular versus plural. Example: Vent et øjeblik. — “Wait a moment.” venligst is a polite word meaning “please.” It softens the request but does not itself express the action. In this sentence it follows the imperative. Example: Lyt venligst. — “Please listen.” her means “here,” referring to the place where the addressee is being asked to wait. It is a place adverb, so it does not change form for number or gender. Example: Kom her. — “Come here.” Together, Vent + venligst gives the polite request “Please wait,” and her specifies the location: “Please wait here.”

4. Kig venligst her.

   Please look here.

   Kig

   look

   venligst

   please

   her

   here

   More detail

   Kig is the imperative of kigge (“to look”): kigge → kig. The imperative is used for a direct request or instruction. Example: Kig på kortet. — “Look at the map.” Venligst is an adverb meaning “please.” It softens a request, but it does not itself carry the action; the action is expressed by the imperative kig. In this sentence, it comes after the imperative. Example: Vent venligst her. — “Please wait here.” Her is a place adverb meaning “here,” referring to the location relevant in the situation. A useful contrast is der (“there”): Kig der. — “Look there.” Together, Kig venligst gives the polite request “please look,” and her specifies the place. The complete utterance therefore means “Please look here.”

5. Lyt venligst godt efter.

   Please listen carefully.

   Lyt

   listen

   venligst

   please

   godt efter

   carefully

   More detail

   Lyt is the imperative of lytte, “to listen.” It gives a direct instruction to one or more people; the form itself does not mark whether the listener is singular or plural. Example: Lyt! — “Listen!” venligst is a polite word used to soften a request or command, corresponding here to “please.” It can also appear in other requests, as in the supplied examples Kig venligst her. (“Please look here.”) and Tal venligst langsomt. (“Please speak slowly.”) godt efter is the useful part of the expression lytte godt efter: together, it means “listen carefully” or “pay close attention.” godt is the adverb “well” in this expression, and efter is part of the verb expression rather than a separate English-style “after” meaning. Keep the construction together when reusing this sense. Example: Lyt godt efter! — “Listen carefully!” Together, Lyt gives the command, venligst makes it polite, and godt efter specifies careful attention. The complete utterance therefore means “Please listen carefully.”

6. Tal venligst langsomt.

   Please speak slowly.

   Tal

   speak

   venligst

   please

   langsomt

   slowly

   More detail

   Tal is the imperative of tale, “to speak.” It gives a direct request to the listener; Danish imperatives commonly omit the subject. Useful forms are at tale (“to speak”), taler (“speaks / am speaking”), and tal! (“speak!”). Example: Tal dansk. — “Speak Danish.” venligst is a polite “please.” It is a fixed polite word rather than an inflected form of the verb. In this sentence it softens the request without changing what action is requested. The previous sentence also uses venligst in the same polite-request function. langsomt means “slowly” here and describes how the speaking should happen. It is related to the adjective langsom, “slow”; langsomt is the neuter singular adjective form, which is also used adverbially. A useful comparison is langsommere, “more slowly,” and langsomst, “most slowly.” Example: Gå langsomt. — “Walk slowly.” Together, Tal + venligst + langsomt means “Please speak slowly.” The imperative supplies the requested action, venligst makes it polite, and langsomt specifies the manner of speaking.