Hurrying to the train platform | Learn Danish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Der er virkelig meget trafik på vejen i dag.

   The road is really busy today.

   Der er

   there is / there are

   virkelig

   really

   meget

   a lot of / much

   trafik

   traffic

   vejen

   the road

   i dag

   today

   More detail

   Der er is the common Danish existential pattern meaning “there is” or “there are.” Here it introduces the presence of traffic; er is the present-tense form of være (“to be”), while der functions as the introductory subject in this pattern. The choice between singular and plural is reflected in the noun phrase that follows: Der er en bil means “There is a car,” while Der er biler means “There are cars.” virkelig means “really” here and intensifies the following quantity statement. It is an adverb, so it does not change for number or gender. For example, Det er virkelig koldt means “It is really cold.” meget means “much” or “a lot of” before an uncountable quantity such as trafik. It is the quantity word itself, not the noun, that expresses the large amount. Compare meget trafik (“a lot of traffic”) with mange biler (“many cars”), where mange is used with a plural countable noun. trafik means “traffic.” In this sentence it is treated as an uncountable amount, which is why meget is appropriate. A useful related contrast is en bil (“a car”) versus trafik (“traffic”): a car can be counted, while traffic is normally discussed as a general flow or amount. vejen means “the road.” Its base form is vej (“road”), and vejen is the singular definite form: en vej = “a road,” vejen = “the road.” The ending -en marks definiteness for this noun; it is not an adjective ending. For example, Jeg ser vejen means “I see the road.” i dag means “today.” This is a fixed time expression made from i (“in”) and dag (“day”), and it refers to the current day. For example, Jeg arbejder i dag means “I am working today.” Together, Der er virkelig meget trafik says that there is a very large amount of traffic, på vejen locates that traffic on the road, and i dag sets the time as today. The complete utterance therefore means “There is really a lot of traffic on the road today,” naturally rendered by the fixed translation as “The road is really busy today.”

2. Myldretiden er begyndt.

   Rush hour has started.

   Myldretiden

   rush hour

   er begyndt

   has started

   More detail

   Myldretiden means “rush hour” here. The base noun is myldretid; the ending -en marks the definite singular form, so myldretiden means “the rush hour” rather than an unspecified rush hour. Danish commonly places this definite marking at the end of the noun. er begyndt expresses “has started.” er is the present-tense form of være (“to be”) and functions here as the auxiliary; begyndt is the past participle of begynde (“to begin/start”). Together they form the present perfect, describing a completed change whose result is relevant now. The subject is singular, but the participle begyndt itself does not change for that reason in this construction. A reusable pattern is X er begyndt — “X has started.” For example: Filmen er begyndt. — “The film has started.” Together, Myldretiden er begyndt. means “Rush hour has started.”

3. Kan vi stadig nå det næste tog?

   Can we still catch the next train?

   Kan vi

   can we

   stadig

   still

   nå

   catch; manage to reach

   det

   the

   næste

   next

   tog

   train

   More detail

   Kan vi combines the present-tense modal kan (“can, are able to”) with the subject vi (“we”). In a yes/no question, the modal comes before the subject: Kan vi ...? = “Can we ...?” The modal is the finite verb, so the next verb stays in the infinitive. Example: Kan vi gå nu? — “Can we leave now?” stadig means “still” here: the possibility of catching the train remains open at this point. Its position before the infinitive phrase gives the question the sense “can we still manage it?” nå is the infinitive whose base form is also nå. With a destination, person, or transport connection as its object, it can mean “reach” or “catch”; in this sentence, nå is the verb used for catching the train. The form does not change for the subject after the modal kan. Example: Jeg når toget. — “I catch the train” or “I make it to the train,” depending on context. det is the neuter singular definite determiner in det næste tog. It corresponds here to “the” and agrees with the neuter noun tog; it is not the separate object pronoun “it” in this noun phrase. Danish uses det before an adjective and noun in this definite pattern: det + adjective + noun. næste means “next” or “following.” It is the comparative-like form used for “next,” but it is not an inflected form of the adjective ny (“new”). In det næste tog, it describes which train is meant. næste keeps this form in this phrase; the noun’s gender is shown by det, not by a changed form of næste. Example: den næste bus — “the next bus.” tog means “train.” Its indefinite singular form is et tog, and its definite singular form is toget (“the train”). Here it occurs inside the larger definite noun phrase det næste tog, “the next train.” Together, stadig nå expresses “still catch/manage to reach,” while det næste tog identifies what is to be caught. The question Kan vi stadig nå det næste tog? therefore means “Can we still catch the next train?”

4. Det burde vi kunne. Stationen er lige fremme.

   We should. The station is just ahead.

   Det

   it

   burde

   should; ought to

   vi

   we

   kunne

   be able to; can

   Stationen

   the station

   er

   is

   lige fremme

   just ahead

   More detail

   Det means “it” here: an understood action or situation, rather than a newly named object. In Det burde vi kunne, it points to what the speakers are discussing, such as managing to catch the train. Danish can use det this way when the action is understood from context. burde is the modal form corresponding to bør, meaning “should” or “ought to.” It expresses an expectation or reasonable conclusion here. A useful pattern is burde + infinitive: Du burde hvile means “You should rest.” vi means “we,” the subject of the clause. Danish subject pronouns include jeg “I,” du “you” singular, and vi “we.” kunne is the infinitive of kan and means “be able to” in this construction. After burde, it remains in the infinitive: burde kunne means “should be able to.” For example, Hun burde kunne finde det means “She should be able to find it.” The first clause has the pattern Det + burde + subject + infinitive. Putting Det first gives the understood matter an initial position, while burde still precedes vi; kunne completes the modal combination. Together, Det burde vi kunne means “We should [be able to do that],” with the action understood from the context. Stationen means “the station.” station is the noun’s base form, and the ending -en marks the common-gender definite singular form: station “a station” → stationen “the station.” The definite form identifies a particular station relevant in the situation. er is the present-tense form of være, “to be.” It is used with a singular subject such as stationen: Stationen er ... means “The station is ...”. lige fremme is a compact directional expression meaning “just ahead” or “straight ahead nearby.” lige contributes the sense “just,” while fremme describes a location ahead. It is not a literal English-style verb phrase; together the words give the location expression. The second clause, Stationen er lige fremme, states that the station is just ahead. As a whole, the utterance combines the expectation that the speakers should be able to manage the understood task with the practical location information: “We should. The station is just ahead.”

5. Jeg kan se indgangen nu.

   I can see the entrance now.

   Jeg kan

   I can

   se

   see

   indgangen

   the entrance

   nu

   now

   More detail

   Jeg kan means “I can.” Jeg is the first-person singular pronoun “I.” Kan is the present-tense form of kunne, “can/be able to”; it is used with different subjects as well: jeg kan, du kan, de kan. In this sentence it expresses present ability or possibility. Se means “see.” After the modal kan, Danish uses the verb form se without at: Jeg kan se means “I can see.” Compare the ordinary infinitive pattern at se (“to see”) with the modal pattern kan se. Indgangen means “the entrance.” The base noun is indgang (“entrance”), and indgangen is its definite singular form, corresponding to “the entrance.” The ending -en marks definiteness for this noun; it does not indicate a plural. Example: en indgang — “an entrance”; indgangen — “the entrance.” Nu means “now,” referring to the present time. It is an adverb and does not change form. Together, Jeg kan se indgangen nu has the pattern Jeg kan + se + indgangen + nu: “I can see the entrance now.” The sentence states that the speaker is currently able to see the specific entrance.

6. Lad os gå direkte til perronen.

   Let's head straight to the platform.

   Lad os

   let’s

   gå

   go

   direkte

   straight

   til

   to

   perronen

   the platform

   More detail

   Lad os is the Danish construction for “let’s” when making a suggestion that includes the speaker and others. It is followed here by the infinitive gå. For example: Lad os vente. — “Let’s wait.” gå means “go” here, with the broader sense “head” in the translation. Its infinitive form is used after Lad os: Lad os gå — “Let’s go.” The same verb can describe going on foot in other contexts, but the fixed sentence only requires the movement meaning. direkte is an adverb meaning “straight” or “directly.” It modifies the direction or manner of going: gå direkte — “go straight.” til is a preposition meaning “to” when it introduces a destination. It links the movement to the destination that follows. perronen means “the platform.” The noun is perron; perronen is its singular definite form, meaning “the platform.” The indefinite form is en perron — “a platform,” while the definite form is perronen — “the platform.” The ending belongs to the noun, not to til. Together, Lad os gå makes the suggestion “Let’s go,” direkte adds the direction “straight,” and til perronen identifies the destination “to the platform.” The complete utterance therefore means: “Let’s head straight to the platform.”

7. Toget kører allerede ind.

   The train is pulling in already.

   Toget

   the train

   kører … ind

   pulls in

   allerede

   already

   More detail

   Toget means “the train” here. It is the definite singular form of tog (“train”): et tog = “a train,” toget = “the train.” Danish marks definiteness on the noun with the ending -et for this neuter noun; the form does not itself state how many trains are present beyond its singular meaning. kører is the present-tense form of køre, meaning “runs,” “drives,” or “is moving.” With a vehicle or train, it describes movement rather than a person driving. The present form can describe an action happening now, as in Toget kører. — “The train is moving.” ind means “in” or “into.” Together, kører ind is a separable movement construction meaning “pulls in” or “comes in”: Bussen kører ind. — “The bus pulls in.” The meaning comes from the combination, not from treating ind as part of the verb’s base form; the base verb is køre. allerede means “already.” It places the event before the relevant expected or current point in time: Hun er allerede her. — “She is already here.” In this sentence, it modifies the train’s pulling in, so the train is already pulling in. Together, Toget kører ind allerede. means “The train is pulling in already.” The subject is Toget (“the train”), kører ind describes its movement into the station or platform area, and allerede adds the sense that this is happening by now. The sentence is a straightforward present-tense statement about the train’s current arrival movement.`

8. Hold dig tæt på, så stiger vi på sammen.

   Stay close, and we'll board together.

   Hold dig tæt på

   stay close

   stiger … på

   board / get on

   sammen

   together

   More detail

   Hold dig tæt på is a reusable imperative meaning “stay close.” Hold is the imperative of holde (“to hold”); in this expression, the verb is used in the sense “remain/stay.” Dig is the reflexive form used with a second-person singular subject, so the person being told to stay is also the one who stays. Tæt på means “close by” or “near.” For example: Hold dig tæt på mig. — “Stay close to me.” stiger på comes from stige på, “board” or “get on” a vehicle. Stiger is the present-tense form of stige; på is part of the verb construction here, not an unrelated preposition. Danish present tense can refer to a planned or imminent event, so this form is compatible with “we’ll board” in this situation. The subject is vi (“we”), which appears after the verb in the clause så stiger vi på. For example: Vi stiger på bussen. — “We board the bus.” Sammen is the adverb “together”: the people referred to by vi will board as a group. It can also be used in other clauses, as in Vi går sammen. — “We walk together.” The connector så links the two parts: first, the listener is told to stay close; then the speaker says that they will board together. Thus Hold dig tæt på, så stiger vi på sammen. means “Stay close, and we’ll board together.”