Basic checks and status | Learn Danish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Er det okay?

   Is this okay?

   Er det

   is this

   okay

   okay

   More detail

   Er det is a reusable Danish question frame. Er is the present-tense form of være (“to be”); det means “this” here. Danish commonly places the verb before the subject in a yes/no question: Er det ...? = “Is this ...?” The form er is used with this present-tense subject pattern; it is not the infinitive være. okay is an adjective meaning “okay” or “acceptable.” Danish also uses this international form in ordinary questions such as this one. Together, Er det okay? asks whether the thing referred to by det is okay: “Is this okay?” The question frame can be reused with another description or noun, for example Er det din taske? = “Is this your bag?”

2. Er det din taske?

   Is this your bag?

   Er det

   Is this ...?

   din

   your

   taske

   bag

   More detail

   Er det is the question frame used here for “Is this …?” Er is the present-tense form of være (“to be”). In a Danish yes/no question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Er det ...? Compare the statement Det er ... (“This is ...”). Here det is the pronoun translated as “this” in the fixed sentence. din means “your” and shows possession by one person. It is the form used with a singular common-gender noun. Danish possessives agree with the possessed noun: din with a common-gender singular noun, dit with a neuter singular noun, and dine with a plural noun. For example, din bog means “your book,” while dit hus means “your house.” taske means “bag.” Its base form is taske; the plural is tasker, and the definite singular form is tasken (“the bag”). With a possessive such as din, Danish normally does not add a separate article: din taske means “your bag.” Together, Er det din taske? asks whether the item identified as “this” belongs to the person addressed: “Is this your bag?”

3. Sidder der nogen her?

   Is anyone sitting here?

   Sidder

   is sitting

   der

   existential “there”

   nogen

   anyone

   her

   here

   More detail

   Sidder is the present-tense form of sidde, “to sit.” Danish present-tense verbs generally do not change for the subject’s person or number, so sidder can be used with different subjects. Example: Jeg sidder her. — “I am sitting here.” der is the existential element in this question pattern. It helps present or ask about the existence of a person or thing; here it is not the location word “there.” In Sidder der nogen ...?, the verb comes first, followed by der and the person being asked about. nogen is an indefinite pronoun meaning “anyone” in this question. In other contexts it can also mean “someone,” so the surrounding sentence determines the English equivalent. Example: Er der nogen? — “Is there anyone?” her is the adverb “here,” identifying the relevant place. Example: Hun arbejder her. — “She works here.” Together, Sidder der nogen her? asks whether any person is sitting in this place: “Is anyone sitting here?”

4. Har du travlt nu?

   Are you busy now?

   Har

   have

   du

   you

   travlt

   busy

   nu

   now

   More detail

   Har is the present-tense form of have (“to have”). In Danish, the present form does not change for person or number: jeg har, du har, and de har all use har. Here it belongs to the reusable construction have travlt, which means “be busy”; it is not a literal statement about possessing something. du is the second-person singular pronoun, “you.” It is the subject of the question. Danish distinguishes this singular form from plural I (“you” plural). travlt is the form of the adjective travl used in the expression have travlt. In this utterance, the complete expression means “be busy.” Learn the expression as a unit rather than translating travlt by itself as an ordinary possessed object. For example: Jeg har travlt. — “I am busy.” nu is the adverb “now,” marking the current time. For example: Er du klar nu? — “Are you ready now?” Together, Har du travlt forms a yes-or-no question using verb–subject order: Har + du + travlt. Adding nu asks whether the person is busy at the present time. The whole utterance therefore means “Are you busy now?”

5. Er du klar nu?

   Are you ready now?

   Er du

   are you

   klar

   ready

   nu

   now

   More detail

   Er du combines er, the present-tense form of være (“to be”), with du (“you,” singular). In this question, the verb comes before the subject: Er du ...? This is a reusable Danish yes/no question pattern. Compare the statement Du er klar. — “You are ready.” klar is an adjective meaning “ready” here. Its base form is klar; useful related forms include klart with a singular neuter noun and klare with plural or definite forms, as in et klart svar (“a clear answer”) and de klare svar (“the clear answers”). In the fixed sentence, klar describes the person addressed as being ready; it does not identify that person’s gender. nu is the adverb “now.” It places the state in the present moment and does not change form. For example, Jeg er klar nu. means “I am ready now.” Together, Er du + klar + nu forms Er du klar nu?, literally asking whether the addressed person is ready at this moment. The natural translation is “Are you ready now?”

6. Har du brug for hjælp?

   Do you need help?

   Har du … brug for

   do you need

   hjælp

   help

   More detail

   Har du places the present-tense verb har (“have”) before the subject du (“you”), which is the usual order for a Danish yes/no question. The statement pattern is Du har ... (“You have ...”), while the question pattern is Har du ...? (“Do you have ...?”). The preceding example, Er du klar nu?, uses the same verb-before-subject order. brug for completes the Danish construction have brug for (“need”). It is not a standalone verb meaning “need”; the verb is har here, and brug for completes the construction. In this question, the subject comes between the verb and the rest of the construction: Har du brug for ...?. Example: Jeg har brug for tid. — “I need time.” This shows the same construction with jeg (“I”) and the present form har. hjælp is a noun meaning “help” or “assistance.” In this utterance it names what the person may need; the sentence does not specify the kind of help. Together, Har du + brug for + hjælp forms the yes/no question “Do you need help?” It addresses one person with du and asks whether that person needs assistance.