Preparing for Cloudy Weather | Learn Danish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Det ser overskyet ud udenfor.

   It looks cloudy outside.

   ser … ud

   looks

   overskyet

   cloudy

   udenfor

   outside

   More detail

   ser ... ud is a Danish construction meaning “looks” or “appears.” The verb ser is the present-tense form of se (“to see”), but in this construction it describes how something appears, rather than an act of seeing. The adverbial part ud completes the construction. Example: Det ser godt ud. — “It looks good.” overskyet means “cloudy” here. It is a descriptive adjective formed from sky (“cloud”) with over- (“over-”), referring to the sky being covered by clouds. In this sentence it describes the weather or view. Example: Det er overskyet. — “It is cloudy.” udenfor means “outside” and functions here as an adverb indicating location. It is written as one word in this use. Example: Det er koldt udenfor. — “It is cold outside.” The sentence begins with Det, which corresponds to “it” here and serves as the subject of the impersonal weather-like statement. ser overskyet ud says that the situation appears cloudy, and udenfor specifies that this appearance is outside. Together, Det ser overskyet ud udenfor. means “It looks cloudy outside.”

2. Tag en varm frakke med.

   Take a warm coat with you.

   Tag

   take

   varm

   warm

   frakke

   coat

   med

   with; along

   More detail

   Tag is the imperative of tage, “to take.” It gives a direct instruction; the person addressed is understood from the imperative rather than stated in the sentence. Example: Tag paraplyen. — “Take the umbrella.” varm means “warm” here and describes frakke. It is the common-gender singular indefinite form: en varm frakke. The same adjective has varmt with a neuter singular noun and varme in the plural, for example et varmt tæppe — “a warm blanket” and varme frakker — “warm coats.” frakke is a common-gender noun meaning “coat.” Its indefinite form is en frakke; its definite form is frakken, “the coat.” med means “with” here. After an instruction to take or bring an object, final med can indicate taking it along. Example: Tag bogen med. — “Take the book with you.” Together, Tag en varm frakke med means “Take a warm coat with you.” The imperative Tag supplies the instruction, en varm frakke names the object, and final med adds the idea of taking that object along.

3. Føles vinden kold?

   Does the wind feel cold?

   Føles

   feels

   vinden

   the wind

   kold

   cold

   More detail

   Føles means “feels” here. It is the present-tense s-form of føle (“to feel”), not a base form called føles. In this yes/no question, the verb comes before the subject. A reusable pattern is Føles + subject + adjective?. vinden means “the wind”. It is the definite singular form of vind: en vind means “a wind”, while vinden means “the wind”. Danish commonly marks definiteness with a noun ending. kold means “cold”. It is the common-gender singular form of the adjective, matching the common-gender singular subject vinden in this description. With a neuter singular subject, the form is koldt, as in Det er koldt (“It is cold”); kolde is used in definite or plural adjective forms. kold is the adjective here, not a form of vinden. Together, Føles vinden kold? asks whether the wind feels cold: “Does the wind feel cold?”

4. Det er koldt og blæsende i dag.

   It is cold and windy today.

   Det er

   it is

   koldt

   cold

   blæsende

   windy

   i dag

   today

   More detail

   Det er introduces a present-tense description. Here det is an impersonal or dummy subject used in a weather statement, not a specifically identified object, and er is the present form of være (“to be”). The same pattern is reusable: Det er varmt. — “It is warm.” koldt means “cold” here. It is the neuter singular form of the adjective kold, used with the impersonal det in this weather expression. Compare kold in en kold dag (“a cold day”) and kolde in den kolde dag (“the cold day”); the form changes with the noun phrase’s grammatical conditions, not simply because the sentence is singular. blæsende adds the description “windy.” It is related to the verb blæse (“to blow”) and functions here as an adjective. In this use, blæsende has the same visible form with common-gender, neuter, and plural nouns: en blæsende dag — “a windy day”; et blæsende vejr — “windy weather.” i dag is the fixed time expression “today.” It places the described weather in the current day. For another time expression, compare i morgen — “tomorrow.” Together, Det er + koldt and blæsende give “it is cold and windy,” while i dag specifies when this is true. The complete utterance therefore means: “It is cold and windy today.”

5. Jeg har også brug for min hat.

   I need my hat too.

   Jeg

   I

   har … brug for

   need

   også

   too; also

   min

   my

   hat

   hat

   More detail

   Jeg means “I” and is the first-person singular subject pronoun. It identifies the speaker as the person who needs something. The pronoun does not show tense; the verb does that: jeg har is present tense, while a past-tense verb would show past time. har brug for is the reusable Danish construction meaning “need.” har is the present form of have; together with brug for, the construction expresses needing something. Its parts should not be translated as an English-style single verb one by one. Example: Jeg har brug for hjælp. — “I need help.” også means “too” or “also.” Here it adds this need to something already relevant. In Jeg har også brug for ..., it can correspond to either “I also need ...” or “I need ... too,” depending on English emphasis. min means “my” before a singular common-gender noun. It agrees with the possessed noun, not with the speaker: min hat (“my hat”). With a singular neuter noun, Danish uses mit; with a plural noun, it uses mine. The possessive expresses ownership or association and does not itself state a numeric quantity. hat means “hat.” It is a singular common-gender noun: en hat, min hat. Its plural is hatte, so mine hatte means “my hats.” Together, Jeg har brug for min hat means “I need my hat.” Adding også after har gives Jeg har også brug for min hat, meaning “I need my hat too.”

6. Den er ved døren.

   It is by the door.

   Den

   it

   er

   is

   ved

   by

   døren

   the door

   More detail

   Den means “it” here and refers to the hat established by the surrounding context. In Danish, den is a singular pronoun used for a common-gender noun; it is not the noun itself. A useful contrast is det, which is used with a neuter-gender noun. Example: Jeg ser den. — “I see it.” er is the present-tense form of være, “to be.” It can link a subject to a location or description. Example: Hatten er her. — “The hat is here.” ved is a preposition meaning “by” or “near” when it indicates location. Example: Bogen er ved vinduet. — “The book is by the window.” døren means “the door.” Its base form is dør, “door”; the ending -en marks the definite singular form: dør → døren. This ending is part of the Danish noun form rather than a separate word. Example: Døren er åben. — “The door is open.” Together, Den er ved døren has the pattern “It is by the door”: the pronoun identifies the already established item, er places it, and ved døren gives its location. In the supplied context, the item is the hat.

7. Jeg tager den på, før jeg går.

   I will put it on before I leave.

   tager … på

   put ... on

   den

   it

   før

   before

   går

   leave

   More detail

   tager ... på is the Danish construction used here for putting clothing on. tager is the present form of tage (“take”); with på and a clothing object, tage ... på means “put ... on.” The construction is discontinuous here because den comes between its two parts. Example: Jeg tager jakken på. — “I put my jacket on.” den is a singular common-gender pronoun meaning “it” here. It refers to the item being put on, but the supplied sentence does not identify that item more specifically. The same form can also function as a demonstrative or refer to a noun previously established in context. Example: Jeg ser jakken. Jeg tager den på. — “I see the jacket. I put it on.” før introduces a clause meaning “before.” It places the event in the clause after it earlier than the event in the main clause. Example: Jeg spiser, før jeg går. — “I eat before I leave.” går is the present form of gå (“go,” “walk,” or, in suitable context, “leave”). Here the fixed translation selects the “leave” sense. Danish present tense can also refer to a future event when the context is future-oriented, as in this sentence. jeg går means “I leave” or “I am leaving”; it does not by itself mark a separate future ending. Jeg means “I” and is the subject of both tager and går: Jeg tager ... — “I put ... on,” and jeg går — “I leave.” In the subordinate clause introduced by før, the subject is stated again. Together, Jeg tager den på means “I will put it on,” while før jeg går means “before I leave.” The complete utterance therefore means “I will put it on before I leave.”

8. Så er du klar til gåturen.

   Then you will be ready for the walk.

   Så

   then

   er du

   you are

   klar til

   ready for

   gåturen

   the walk

   More detail

   Så means “then” here and places the sentence in relation to what came before. It can also mean “so” in other contexts, but “then” is the intended meaning in this utterance. er du contains er, the present-tense form of være (“to be”), and du, the second-person singular pronoun (“you”). Danish uses the same present form er with different subjects; for example, Jeg er klar. means “I am ready,” while Du er klar. means “You are ready.” In this sentence, the present form is understood with a future meaning from the context: “you will be ready.” klar til means “ready for.” Klar is an adjective, and til introduces what the person is ready for. Example: Jeg er klar til at gå. — “I am ready to leave.” With a noun, as here, klar til is followed directly by that noun. gåturen means “the walk.” It is a definite singular form of gåtur (“walk”), formed with the definite ending -en: gåtur → gåturen. The compound’s first part is related to gå (“walk/go”), but gåturen functions as one noun in this sentence. The word order also shows a common Danish pattern. Because Så comes first, the finite verb er comes before the subject du: Så er du .... This keeps the verb in the second position of the main clause. The meaningful parts combine as Så (“then”) + er du (“you are”) + klar til (“ready for”) + gåturen (“the walk”), giving the intended meaning: “Then you will be ready for the walk.”