Strong wind outside | Learn Danish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Det blæser udenfor.

   It's windy outside.

   Det

   it

   blæser

   is windy

   udenfor

   outside

   More detail

   Det is the Danish form used here in an impersonal weather sentence: it does not identify a person or object. In this pattern, Danish uses det as a grammatical subject even though “it” has no concrete referent. This is different from a use of det that points back to a specific neuter noun. blæser means “is windy” here. Its base form is blæse (“to blow”); blæser is the present-tense form. Danish present-tense verbs do not change for person or number, so the same form can be used with different subjects. In other contexts, blæser can describe something blowing, but in this weather pattern it describes wind conditions. udenfor means “outside” and is written as one word here. It is an adverb indicating location. A reusable pattern is Det + present-tense weather verb + location, as in Det regner udenfor. — “It is raining outside.” Together, Det blæser forms an impersonal weather statement, and udenfor specifies the location: “It’s windy outside.”

2. Hold din hat med én hånd.

   Hold your hat with one hand.

   Hold

   hold

   din

   your

   hat

   hat

   med

   with

   én

   one

   hånd

   hand

   More detail

   Hold is the imperative of holde, “to hold.” The imperative gives a direct instruction and commonly uses the verb form without an expressed subject. For example: Hold døren. — “Hold the door.” din means “your” and is the possessive form used with one singular common-gender noun. Here it agrees with hat, whose grammatical gender is common gender. Compare dit with a singular neuter noun and dine with a plural noun; the choice reflects the possessed noun, not the possessor. hat means “hat.” Its base form is the singular indefinite noun hat; the definite singular form is hatten, and the plural is hatte. med means “with.” It introduces what is used together with the action or how the action is carried out. For example: Skriv med en blyant. — “Write with a pencil.” én means “one.” The accent can emphasize that the number is specifically one rather than another number. It is a numeral, not an indefinite article. hånd means “hand.” The form is singular and indefinite here; the definite singular is hånden, and the plural is hænder. Together, Hold din hat means “Hold your hat,” and med én hånd adds the means: “with one hand.” The complete utterance is therefore an instruction to hold the listener’s hat using one hand: “Hold your hat with one hand.”

3. Træerne bevæger sig meget.

   The trees are moving a lot.

   Træerne

   the trees

   bevæger sig

   are moving

   meget

   a lot

   More detail

   Træerne means “the trees” here. It is the definite plural of træ (“tree”): træ = “a tree,” træer = “trees,” and træerne = “the trees.” In Danish, the definite plural ending is part of the noun form. Example: Børnene leger. — “The children are playing.” bevæger sig expresses “are moving.” The useful base expression is bevæge sig (“to move”), where sig is the reflexive pronoun used with this verb. The observed form bevæger is present tense; Danish present-tense verbs do not change for singular versus plural, so the same form can occur with one moving thing or several. Example: Bilen bevæger sig langsomt. — “The car is moving slowly.” meget means “a lot” in this sentence. Here it is an adverb modifying the movement, rather than a word describing how many trees there are. It can also mean “very” in other contexts, but that is not its role here. Example: Hun arbejder meget. — “She works a lot.” Together, Træerne identifies the moving subject, bevæger sig says that the subject is moving, and meget intensifies the amount or degree of that movement. The whole utterance therefore means: “The trees are moving a lot.”

4. Vinden er stærkere nær gaden.

   The wind is stronger near the street.

   Vinden

   the wind

   er

   is

   stærkere

   stronger

   nær

   near

   gaden

   the street

   More detail

   Vinden means “the wind” here. It is the definite singular form of vind (“wind”): the ending -en marks a common-gender noun as definite. Danish commonly uses this attached ending rather than a separate word before the noun. Example: en vind = “a wind”; vinden = “the wind.” er is the present-tense form of at være (“to be”). It is used with all persons and numbers in the present, so the form does not change for “I,” “you,” or “they.” Example: Jeg er træt. = “I am tired.” stærkere means “stronger” here. It is the comparative form of stærk (“strong”): stærk → stærkere (“strong” → “stronger”). In this sentence it compares the wind’s strength with an understood reference point; the sentence does not specify that point. Example: Denne vind er stærkere. = “This wind is stronger.” nær is a preposition meaning “near” or “close to.” It introduces the location that follows it. Example: nær huset = “near the house.” gaden means “the street.” It is the definite singular form of gade (“street”), again with the attached definite ending -en. Example: en gade = “a street”; gaden = “the street.” Together, Vinden er stærkere says “The wind is stronger,” and nær gaden specifies the location “near the street.” The complete utterance is: “The wind is stronger near the street.”

5. Skal vi gå langsommere?

   Should we walk more slowly?

   Skal vi

   Should we…?

   gå

   walk; go

   langsommere

   more slowly

   More detail

   Skal vi combines skal with vi. skal is the present form of skulle; with vi here it introduces a suggestion or proposal, so the question means “Should we…?” Danish places the finite verb before the subject in this yes/no question pattern: Skal vi ...? This pattern is reusable, for example: Skal vi vente? — “Should we wait?” gå means “walk” here. It is the infinitive form used after the modal verb skal; the modal carries the tense and the infinitive stays in this form. gå can also mean “go” in contexts where movement rather than walking is emphasized. A reusable pattern is Skal vi gå ...? — “Should we walk/go ...?” langsommere means “more slowly” in this sentence. It is the comparative form related to the adjective/adverb langsom (“slow”/“slowly”) and describes the manner of gå. The comparison is explicit: langsommere presents a slower way of walking than a relevant current or implied pace. For example: Tal langsommere. — “Speak more slowly.” Together, Skal vi + gå + langsommere forms Skal vi gå langsommere? The speaker asks whether the participants should walk at a slower pace.

6. Lad os gå langsommere nær gaden.

   Let's slow down near the street.

   Lad os

   let's

   gå

   go; walk

   langsommere

   more slowly

   nær

   near

   gaden

   the street

   More detail

   Lad os is the Danish way to propose an action: “let’s …”. It is followed by the infinitive, so the reusable pattern is Lad os + infinitive. Here, os means “us,” while lad is the imperative form of lade (“let/allow”) used in this construction. gå means “go” or “walk” here. Its base form is gå, the infinitive used after Lad os; the construction therefore does not use a finite present-tense form after os. Example: Lad os vente. — “Let’s wait.” langsommere means “more slowly” in this sentence. It is the comparative form related to langsom (“slow”) and functions here as an adverb, describing how the walking should happen. The useful chain is langsom → langsommere (“slow” → “slower/more slowly”). Example: Tal langsommere. — “Speak more slowly.” nær means “near” and introduces the location phrase. It is a preposition, so it connects the following noun phrase to the action: nær ... means “near ...”. Example: Vi bor nær skolen. — “We live near the school.” gaden means “the street” here. Its base noun is gade (“street”); gaden is the definite singular form, marked by the ending -en. Thus gade is “a street” as an indefinite noun, while gaden is “the street.” Together, Lad os gå proposes that the speaker and the addressee walk or go, langsommere specifies a slower manner, and nær gaden specifies the location. The whole utterance means: “Let’s slow down near the street.”

7. Jeg holder også min taske tæt på mig.

   I'll hold my bag close too.

   Jeg

   I

   holder

   hold

   også

   also; too

   min

   my

   taske

   bag

   tæt

   close

   på mig

   to me

   More detail

   Jeg means “I.” It is the first-person singular subject pronoun. The related object form is mig, used after a preposition; in på mig, it means “to me.” holder is the present-tense form of holde, “to hold” or “to keep.” Here it describes keeping the bag in a particular position. The present form can describe an action or state happening now: Jeg holder døren. — “I am holding the door.” In this context, the present form is understood as the speaker’s intended action, matching “I’ll hold.” også means “also” or “too.” It adds this action to something already understood in the context. Its position before min taske contributes the meaning “too” for the clause. min means “my” before a singular common-gender noun. It agrees with the possessed noun, not with the possessor: min taske because taske is an en-word. Before a singular neuter noun, Danish uses mit, as in the example mit hus — “my house.” taske means “bag.” Its indefinite form is en taske, while the definite form is tasken, “the bag.” In the fixed sentence, min taske is a possessive noun phrase: the speaker identifies a bag as belonging to them. The noun itself does not take the separate definite ending in this construction. tæt means “close” here, describing the bag’s position. In the spatial expression tæt på, it combines with på to say that something is near a person or thing. A useful contrast is langt fra (“far from”), for example Tasken er tæt på mig. — “The bag is close to me.” på mig means “to me” in the fixed spatial expression tæt på mig, “close to me.” mig is the first-person singular form used after på; it is not the subject form jeg. Together, Jeg holder gives “I hold/keep,” også adds “too,” min taske identifies the speaker’s bag, and tæt på mig states its position. The complete meaning is: “I’ll hold my bag close too.” The Danish present form holder can refer to an action understood as taking place now or as the speaker’s intended action in this situation.

8. Så burde den ikke gå op i vinden.

   That should keep it from blowing open.

   Så

   so; then

   burde

   should; ought to

   den

   it

   ikke

   not

   gå op

   open; come open

   vinden

   the wind

   More detail

   Så comes first and connects this sentence to the preceding situation as a result: “so” or “then.” burde is the Danish modal form used for “should” or “ought to.” It is the past-tense form of bør, but it does not necessarily refer to past time. It can express an expected or advisable result. Here it is followed by the infinitive gå: burde gå. Example: Det burde virke. — “That should work.” den means “it” here. It is the singular common-gender form; Danish uses det for a singular neuter-gender referent. The supplied texts do not identify the specific object referred to by den, so only its grammatical form and its role as “it” are established here. ikke means “not.” Together with the modal and verb, burde ikke gå op says that the opening should not happen. gå op is a verb construction meaning “open” or “come open” in this context. The verb gå alone often means “go,” but gå op can describe something becoming open. Example: Døren går op. — “The door opens.” vinden is the definite form of vind, meaning “the wind”; the ending marks the noun as definite. In the phrase i vinden, i introduces the condition or setting: “in the wind.” Assembled in order, Så burde den ikke gå op i vinden presents the idea that the object should not come open in the wind. In the fixed translation, this is naturally expressed as “That should keep it from blowing open.”