Basic health and temperature | Learn Danish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Det er for varmt.

   It is too hot.

   Det er

   it is

   for

   too

   varmt

   hot

   More detail

   Det er is a common Danish way to say “it is.” Here det is an impersonal subject referring to the situation or temperature, not to a specifically identified noun. er is the present-tense form of være (“to be”): jeg er = “I am,” det er = “it is.” for means “too” here, indicating an excessive degree: the temperature is hotter than is acceptable or desirable in the situation. This is different from for in meanings such as “for someone” or “to” in other contexts. The supplied contrasting sentence uses the same pattern with for koldt, “too cold.” varmt means “hot” in this sentence. It is the neuter singular form of the adjective varm (“hot/warm”), used with det in this impersonal temperature expression. Useful forms include varm (“hot/warm”), varmere (“hotter/warmer”), and varmest (“hottest/warmest”). For example: Det er varmt. — “It is hot.” Together, Det er + for + varmt gives “It is too hot.” The sentence describes the temperature as excessively hot, without identifying a particular object as the referent of det.

2. Det er for koldt.

   It is too cold.

   Det er

   it is

   for

   too

   koldt

   cold

   More detail

   Det er is a reusable Danish pattern meaning “it is.” Here det is the impersonal subject used for a general condition such as temperature, and er is the present-tense form of være (“to be”). The det in this sentence does not identify a particular object or person. Example: Det er varmt. — “It is hot.” for means “too” here: it says that the degree is excessive for the relevant situation. This is different from meget (“very”), which only intensifies a description without stating that it is excessive. Example: Det er for koldt. — “It is too cold.” Example: Det er meget koldt. — “It is very cold.” koldt means “cold” in this sentence. Its base form is kold; koldt is the neuter singular form used with the impersonal det in this pattern. Other agreement forms include kold with a common-gender singular noun and kolde in plural or definite contexts. Example: Vandet er koldt. — “The water is cold.” Together, Det er + for + koldt produces “It is too cold.” This compact pattern can be reused with other descriptions, for example Det er for varmt. — “It is too hot.”

3. Jeg er meget træt.

   I am very tired.

   Jeg er

   I am

   meget

   very

   træt

   tired

   More detail

   Jeg er means “I am.” Jeg is the first-person singular pronoun “I”. Er is the present-tense form of være, “to be”: jeg er = “I am”, while du er = “you are”. This is a reusable way to describe a current state or condition. Meget means “very” here. It is an intensifier placed before the adjective it strengthens, as in meget glad (“very happy”) or meget kold (“very cold”). It does not mean “many” in this sentence. Træt means “tired” here. It is the adjective in its singular form after er; Danish commonly uses this pattern to describe a person’s state: Jeg er træt (“I am tired”). The related plural or definite form is trætte, as in de trætte mennesker (“the tired people”), but that form is not used in the fixed utterance. Together, Jeg er + meget + træt produces “I am very tired”: the speaker identifies themself, uses the present form of “to be,” and describes their current state with an intensified adjective.

4. Jeg er meget sulten.

   I am very hungry.

   Jeg

   I

   er

   am

   meget

   very

   sulten

   hungry

   More detail

   Jeg means “I” and is the first-person singular subject pronoun. It identifies the speaker, but it does not by itself state the speaker’s gender. A useful contrast is jeg “I” versus du “you” when addressing one person. er is the present-tense form of at være, “to be.” In this sentence it links the subject to a current state. Danish uses the same er form with different singular subjects: Hun er træt. — “She is tired.” meget means “very” here. It intensifies the adjective that follows it. For example, meget glad means “very happy”; without meget, sulten simply means “hungry.” sulten means “hungry” here. It is the common-gender singular form of the adjective; the form does not identify the speaker’s gender. Useful forms include sultent with a neuter singular noun and sultne with a plural noun, as in De er sultne. — “They are hungry.” Together, Jeg er meget sulten. means “I am very hungry.” The pattern Jeg er meget + adjective can be reused for a strong description of the speaker’s current state, for example Jeg er meget træt. — “I am very tired.”

5. Jeg er meget tørstig.

   I am very thirsty.

   Jeg er

   I am

   meget

   very

   tørstig

   thirsty

   More detail

   Jeg er means “I am” here. jeg is the first-person singular pronoun “I,” and er is the present-tense form of være (“to be”). Danish uses er with all present-tense subjects, so the verb does not change to show that the subject is singular. Example: Jeg er sulten. — “I am hungry.” meget means “very” and intensifies the adjective that follows it. It normally comes before the adjective in this pattern: meget + adjective. In the supplied sentence, it strengthens tørstig; it does not mean a separate quantity of something. tørstig means “thirsty.” It is an adjective describing the person’s current state. Its basic form is tørstig; relevant forms include tørstigt with a neuter singular noun and tørstige in definite or plural contexts. With jeg in this sentence, the form is tørstig: Jeg er tørstig. — “I am thirsty.” The related adjective sulten means “hungry,” as in the preceding example Jeg er meget sulten. — “I am very hungry.” Together, Jeg er + meget + tørstig forms “I am very thirsty.” The structure is a first-person subject and present-tense form of “to be,” followed by an intensifier and an adjective describing the speaker’s state. This is a reusable pattern: Jeg er meget + adjective, for example Jeg er meget træt. — “I am very tired.”

6. Jeg føler mig syg.

   I am feeling sick.

   Jeg

   I

   føler mig

   feel (myself)

   syg

   sick

   More detail

   Jeg means “I” and is the first-person singular subject pronoun. It identifies the speaker as the person experiencing the condition. The related object form is mig, used when the speaker is the object of the verb. føler mig contains the present-tense form føler of føle (“to feel”) and the reflexive pronoun mig. Danish føle sig is a useful pattern for describing how someone feels: the reflexive pronoun changes with the subject, for example Jeg føler mig ... (“I feel ...”), Du føler dig ... (“You feel ...”), and Hun føler sig ... (“She feels ...”). Here, mig refers back to the subject Jeg; it does not introduce a second participant. syg means “sick” or “ill” here and describes the speaker’s condition. It is the singular common-gender form of the adjective. In relevant contexts, Danish also has sygt for singular neuter agreement and syge for plural or definite forms; the observed form is specifically syg, not one of those forms. Example: Han føler sig syg. — “He feels sick.” Together, Jeg + føler mig + syg gives “I am feeling sick.” The sentence presents sickness as the speaker’s current felt condition. This is a natural everyday way to say that one feels ill.