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Sentence explanations

1. Hvad betyder det her ord?

   What does this word mean?

   Hvad

   what

   betyder

   means

   det her

   this

   ord

   word

   More detail

   Hvad is the Danish question word “what.” Here it asks for the meaning of the following expression, rather than asking about a person or place. A useful reusable pattern is Hvad betyder ...? = “What does ... mean?” Example: Hvad betyder det? — “What does it mean?” betyder is the present-tense form of betyde, “to mean.” In this sentence it says that the word has a meaning; it does not mean “signifies” in a separate special sense. Danish present-tense verbs generally keep the same form across subjects, so betyder can occur with different subjects. Example: Hvad betyder dette? — “What does this mean?” det her means “this” in the intended demonstrative use. det is the neuter singular form, and her adds the sense of something here or currently indicated. In det her ord, the phrase points to the word being asked about. Danish also has den her with a common-gender singular noun, so the choice between det and den is connected to the noun’s grammatical gender, not merely to physical distance. ord means “word.” Its base form is ord; with the indefinite article it is et ord, showing that it is a neuter noun. Its definite singular form is ordet (“the word”), while its plural is also ord and its definite plural is ordene. In this utterance, ord appears after the demonstrative phrase in det her ord, meaning “this word.” Together, Hvad betyder asks for a meaning, and det her ord identifies what should be explained. The complete utterance is therefore “What does this word mean?” It is a direct, ordinary way to ask for the meaning of a Danish word or expression.

2. Det betyder et lille rum.

   It means a small room.

   Det

   it

   betyder

   means

   lille

   small

   rum

   room

   More detail

   Det is the subject pronoun meaning “it” here. In the preceding question, the thing being discussed is “this word,” so the pronoun refers to that item. Det is also the neuter singular form used with a neuter referent; its exact referent should come from context rather than from the pronoun alone. betyder is the present-tense form of betyde, “to mean.” Danish verbs generally do not change form for different subjects, so betyder can be used with singular or plural subjects. Example: Hvad betyder det? — “What does it mean?” lille means “small.” Before a singular noun, the form is lille; the plural form is små. In et lille rum, lille describes the singular noun rum and does not itself carry the neuter article. rum means “room.” It is a neuter noun, so the indefinite phrase is et rum; the definite singular form is rummet, “the room.” The article et marks the noun’s neuter grammatical class here, not a numerical count. Together, Det betyder gives “It means,” and et lille rum gives “a small room.” The complete utterance therefore means “It means a small room.”

3. Kan du udtale det langsomt?

   Can you pronounce it slowly?

   Kan du

   can you

   udtale

   pronounce

   det

   it

   langsomt

   slowly

   More detail

   Kan du is a reusable Danish way to ask whether someone can or is willing to do something. kan is the present form of kunne (“can, be able to”); du means “you”. In a question, the verb comes before the subject: Kan du ...? Compare the statement Du kan ... (“You can ...”) with the question Kan du ...?. udtale means “to pronounce” and is the infinitive used after kan. Danish modal verbs such as kan are followed by an infinitive without an infinitive marker equivalent to English “to”: kan udtale means “can pronounce”. Example: Kan du læse det? — “Can you read it?” det is a neuter singular pronoun meaning “it” here. Its exact referent is the thing being requested for pronunciation; the pronoun itself does not name that thing. Danish uses det for a neuter singular noun or for certain non-noun references, while den is used in other singular reference patterns. The choice between them depends on the relevant Danish grammatical form, not simply on English usage. langsomt means “slowly” here. It describes how the pronunciation should be performed. The form is related to the adjective langsom (“slow”); langsomt is the form used adverbially here. Example: Tal langsomt. — “Speak slowly.” Together, Kan du asks about ability or willingness, udtale names the requested action, det identifies what should be pronounced, and langsomt specifies the manner. The whole utterance therefore means: “Can you pronounce it slowly?”

4. Jeg deler det op i dele.

   I'll break it into parts.

   Jeg

   I

   deler … op

   break up / divide

   det

   it

   dele

   parts

   More detail

   Jeg means “I” and is the subject of the utterance. Danish uses jeg for the first-person singular subject; it does not change for grammatical gender. Example: Jeg lærer dansk. — “I am learning Danish.” deler is the present-tense form of dele, “to divide” or “to share.” Here, together with op, it means “break up” or “divide into separate parts.” The form deler shows present time; the subject Jeg supplies the first-person meaning. Example: Jeg deler kagen. — “I divide the cake.” op contributes the idea of separating something into portions in the construction dele noget op. Danish commonly places this particle after the verb in a simple statement: dele det op means “divide it up.” The particle is not the same as the preposition i in the later phrase i dele. det is a third-person singular neuter pronoun meaning “it” here. Its grammatical form is neuter singular, while its exact real-world referent is not identified by the supplied sentence. In dele det op, it is the object being divided. Example: Jeg kan se det. — “I can see it.” dele is the plural noun “parts” in this sentence. Danish nouns can have an indefinite plural form without an article: dele means “parts,” while en del means “a part” and delen means “the part.” The spelling dele is also the infinitive of the verb “to divide,” but the surrounding structure i dele and the translation identify it as the noun here. Example: Bogen har tre dele. — “The book has three parts.” Together, Jeg deler det op i dele follows the reusable pattern Jeg + deler + object + op i + plural noun: “I divide/break the object up into parts.” Thus the whole utterance means “I’ll break it into parts.” The Danish present tense can express a planned or immediate action when the context makes that intended future meaning clear; here the fixed translation gives that reading.

5. Kan du give mig et eksempel?

   Can you give me an example?

   Kan du

   can you

   give

   give

   mig

   me

   eksempel

   example

   More detail

   Kan du is a reusable Danish question pattern: kan is the present-tense form of kunne (“can, be able to”), and du is the second-person singular subject pronoun (“you”). In a question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Kan du ...? means “Can you ...?” This does not by itself say whether the ability is physical, learned, or simply a willingness in context. give is the infinitive of give, “to give.” After kan, Danish uses the infinitive without at: Kan du give ...? (“Can you give ...?”). The imperative is different: Giv et eksempel! (“Give an example!”). Thus give here is selected because it follows the modal verb kan. mig is the object form of the first-person singular pronoun. The subject form is jeg (“I”), while mig means “me” when the person receives or is otherwise affected by the action. For example, Hun hjælper mig. means “She helps me.” eksempel means “example.” In the utterance it is preceded by et, forming the singular indefinite phrase et eksempel, “an example.” Danish nouns use en or et with an indefinite singular noun; eksempel belongs with et. Its definite form is eksemplet, “the example.” Together, Kan du asks about the addressee’s ability or willingness, give names the requested action, mig identifies the recipient, and et eksempel specifies what is to be given. The whole utterance therefore means: “Can you give me an example?”

6. Det her rum er rent og lyst.

   This room is clean and bright.

   Det her

   this

   rum

   room

   er

   is

   rent

   clean

   lyst

   bright

   More detail

   Det her means “this” for a nearby or contextually identified neuter singular noun. Here it points to rum, whose indefinite form is et rum; the demonstrative and adjective therefore use neuter singular forms. Danish also has den her with common-gender singular nouns and de her with plural nouns. Example: Det her hus er stort. — “This house is big.” rum means “room” here. Its indefinite form is et rum, and its definite form is rummet (“the room”). The word can also mean “space” in other contexts, so the translation and sentence establish the intended sense here. er is the present-tense form of være (“to be”). Danish uses this same form with different subjects: Jeg er (“I am”), du er (“you are”), and de er (“they are”). In this sentence it links Det her rum with its descriptions. rent is the neuter singular form of the adjective ren (“clean”). The form changes to match the neuter noun rum: et rent rum (“a clean room”). With a common-gender singular noun, the form is ren, as in en ren stol (“a clean chair”); with plural nouns, it is rene, as in rene rum (“clean rooms”). lyst is the neuter singular form of lys, meaning “bright” here. It agrees with rum in the same way as rent: et lyst rum (“a bright room”). In other contexts, lys and its forms can relate to light or a light color, but “bright” is the intended meaning in this fixed sentence. The pattern is Det her + noun + er + adjective + og + adjective: “This + noun + is + adjective + and + adjective.” og joins the two descriptions, while both rent and lyst agree with rum. Together, Det her rum er rent og lyst. means “This room is clean and bright.”

7. Jeg vil øve mig i at bruge det.

   I want to practice using it.

   Jeg vil

   I want to

   øve mig i at

   practice doing

   bruge

   use

   det

   it

   More detail

   Jeg vil means “I want to” here. Jeg is the first-person singular subject, “I”. vil is the present form of ville; with this infinitive construction, the fixed translation gives the intended meaning “want to”. The same form can express future intention in other contexts, so the surrounding verb and meaning matter. øve mig i at is a reusable Danish pattern meaning “practice doing”. øve is the base form “practice”. mig is the reflexive object form used with the first-person subject jeg: literally, the speaker practices themself. The preposition i introduces the activity, and at marks the following infinitive. With another subject, the reflexive form changes, for example Hun øver sig i at læse means “She practices reading.” bruge is the infinitive “use”. After at, it remains in this base form: at bruge means “to use”. The form bruge is separate from the earlier øve; each verb contributes its own action. Example: Jeg prøver at bruge ordet means “I try to use the word.” det means “it” here and functions as the object of bruge. It is a Danish pronoun whose form is used for a neuter singular referent; the fixed sentence does not need to name that referent again. In other contexts, det can also be used as a demonstrative meaning “that”, but “it” is the intended meaning here. Together, Jeg vil expresses the speaker’s desire, øve mig i at bruge says that the practice consists of using something, and det supplies the object. The whole utterance therefore means “I want to practice using it.”

8. Prøv det i en kort sætning.

   Try it in a short sentence.

   Prøv

   try

   det

   it

   i

   in

   kort

   short

   sætning

   sentence

   More detail

   Prøv is the imperative of prøve, “to try.” The imperative is used for a direct suggestion or instruction and does not show a subject explicitly. Compare prøver (“tries/is trying”) in a present-tense statement: Du prøver. — “You are trying.” det is a neuter singular pronoun meaning “it” here. Its specific referent is understood from the context, while the form itself is the pronoun used for a neuter singular referent or for certain previously mentioned situations. Example: Prøv det igen. — “Try it again.” i means “in” in this phrase. It introduces the setting or form in which something is tried: Skriv det i en sætning. — “Write it in a sentence.” kort means “short.” It is the adjective modifying sætning here. Its basic form is kort; the comparative is kortere (“shorter”), and the superlative is kortest (“shortest”). Example: en kort tekst — “a short text.” sætning means “sentence.” Its indefinite singular form is en sætning; the definite singular form is sætningen (“the sentence”), and the plural is sætninger (“sentences”). The article en marks the noun phrase as indefinite; it does not by itself add a stated numerical count. Together, i en kort sætning means “in a short sentence”: i introduces the setting, en makes the noun phrase indefinite, and kort describes sætning. The complete utterance Prøv det i en kort sætning. means “Try it in a short sentence.”