Staying inside in bad weather | Learn Danish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Vejret ser dårligt ud.

   The weather looks bad.

   Vejret

   the weather

   ser … ud

   looks / seems

   dårligt

   bad

   More detail

   Vejret means “the weather” here. It is the definite singular form of vejr (“weather”): et vejr is indefinite, while vejret is definite. Danish marks definiteness at the end of the noun in this form rather than with a separate word. ser ... ud is the reusable Danish pattern “looks/seems ...”. ser is the present-tense form of se (“see”), and ud is a particle; together, the separated construction describes appearance or impression. Example: Hun ser træt ud. — “She looks tired.” dårligt means “bad” here. Its base form is dårlig; dårligt is the neuter form of the adjective, agreeing with the neuter subject vejret in this predicative description. In attributive use, dårlige is used with plural or definite noun phrases, while a common-gender singular noun takes dårlig; these forms belong to the adjective, not to vejr. Together, Vejret ser dårligt ud follows the pattern “[subject] ser [description] ud”: Vejret is the subject, and dårligt describes its appearance. The complete meaning is “The weather looks bad.”

2. Der kommer måske en storm.

   A storm may be coming.

   kommer

   is coming

   måske

   perhaps

   storm

   storm

   More detail

   kommer is the present-tense form of komme (“to come”). In this sentence, the present describes an event that may be developing now or be imminent; it does not by itself guarantee that the storm has arrived. Danish also uses kommer in patterns such as Der kommer ..., literally “there comes ...”, for something that is appearing or approaching. måske means “perhaps” or “possibly”. It marks uncertainty about the proposition that follows; it is an adverb, not a verb form. For example: Måske regner det. — “Perhaps it is raining.” storm is the noun “storm”. Its base form is storm; the indefinite singular form here is en storm, while the definite singular is stormen. For example: En storm nærmer sig. — “A storm is approaching.” Together, Der kommer måske en storm uses Der kommer ... to present something as coming or appearing, places måske to express possibility, and identifies that possible event as en storm. The complete meaning is: “A storm may be coming.”

3. Skal vi blive inde?

   Should we stay inside?

   Skal vi

   Should we

   blive

   stay; remain

   inde

   inside

   More detail

   Skal vi is a reusable Danish question pattern: skal is the present form of skulle, while vi means “we.” In this sentence, skal expresses a proposal or question about what the speakers should do, rather than a simple statement of future time. Danish main-clause questions commonly place the finite verb before the subject: Skal vi ...? means “Should we ...?” blive is the infinitive of blive. Here it means “stay” or “remain,” not its other common meaning “become.” After skal, the following verb is in the infinitive. Example: Vi skal blive her. — “We should stay here.” inde is an adverb meaning “inside” or “indoors.” Its useful contrast is ude, “outside.” Example: Børnene er inde. — “The children are inside.” Together, Skal vi + blive + inde forms a question proposing that the speakers remain indoors: “Should we stay inside?” The question leaves the decision open; it does not itself state that they will stay.

4. Lad os vente her, til det er ovre.

   Let's wait here until it passes.

   Lad os

   let’s

   vente

   wait

   her

   here

   til

   until

   det

   it

   er ovre

   is over

   More detail

   Lad os is the Danish construction for suggesting an action: Lad os + infinitive corresponds to English “let’s + verb.” Lad is the imperative of lade (“let”), and os means “us.” Example: Lad os gå. — “Let’s go.” vente means “to wait.” It is the infinitive used after Lad os. Example: Vi vil vente. — “We want to wait.” her means “here.” It is a location adverb and does not change for number or gender. Example: Vi bliver her. — “We are staying here.” til means “until” here and introduces the clause det er ovre, which gives the endpoint of the waiting. Example: Vent, til jeg kommer. — “Wait until I come.” det is the neuter singular form of the Danish pronoun meaning “it” in this context. The fixed translation supports an event or situation as its referent, but does not identify that situation more specifically. The form det marks the pronoun’s grammatical form; it does not by itself name the event. er ovre means “is over.” er is the present-tense form of være (“to be”), while ovre is an adjective used predicatively here, meaning “over” or “finished.” Together, they describe the point when the relevant situation has ended. Example: Mødet er ovre. — “The meeting is over.” Together, Lad os vente her means “Let’s wait here,” and til det er ovre sets the endpoint: “until it is over.” The complete utterance means “Let’s wait here until it passes.”

5. Kan vi gå ud, når det stopper?

   Can we go out after it stops?

   Kan vi

   Can we?

   gå ud

   go out

   når

   when

   det

   it

   stopper

   stops

   More detail

   Kan vi combines kan (“can”) with vi (“we”) to ask about ability or permission. kan is the present-tense form of kunne; after this modal, the following verb uses the infinitive. Example: Kan vi vente? — “Can we wait?” gå ud means “go out.” gå is the infinitive, and ud indicates movement outward or outside. After kan, Danish uses the infinitive: Vi kan gå ud — “We can go out.” når introduces the time condition “when.” Here it connects going out with the point at which the event referred to by det stops; in the fixed translation, this is naturally rendered “after it stops.” det is a third-person singular neuter pronoun meaning “it” here. The supplied texts do not identify a specific noun for its referent, so the pronoun’s grammatical form should not be used to infer one. Danish det also appears in other neuter-singular and impersonal patterns. stopper is the present-tense form of stoppe, meaning “to stop” or “to come to an end.” Danish present-tense verbs do not change form for the subject’s person or number, and stopper does not mark grammatical gender either. Thus the same verb form can occur in det stopper — “it stops” and de stopper — “they stop.” Together, Kan vi gå ud, når det stopper? asks whether the speakers can or may go outside when the relevant event stops. This gives the fixed meaning: “Can we go out after it stops?”

6. Vi kan tjekke vejret igen og beslutte os så.

   We can check the weather again and decide then.

   Vi kan

   we can

   tjekke

   check

   vejret

   the weather

   igen

   again

   beslutte os

   decide

   så

   then

   More detail

   Vi kan means “we can.” vi is the subject pronoun “we,” and kan is the present form of kunne, expressing ability or possibility here. A modal verb such as kan is followed by an infinitive without at: Vi kan vente means “We can wait.” tjekke means “check.” It is the infinitive form, used after kan; the finite verb is kan, not tjekke. The same verb can be used for checking information or an item: Jeg vil tjekke adressen means “I will check the address.” vejret means “the weather.” It is the definite form of vejr: et vejr is “weather” in an indefinite noun phrase, while vejret is “the weather.” The ending -et belongs to the noun and marks its definite form here; it is not part of the verb tjekke. igen means “again.” It indicates that the checking is repeated or done another time: Vi læser det igen means “We read it again.” beslutte os means “decide.” beslutte is the infinitive, and os is the reflexive pronoun referring back to the subject vi; together, this is the usual expression for “decide” in this use. Compare Jeg beslutter mig (“I decide”) and de beslutter sig (“they decide”): the reflexive pronoun changes with the subject. så means “then” here, referring to the time at which the decision will be made. It can have other uses in Danish, including “so,” but in this sentence it gives the temporal sequence. Together, Vi kan tjekke vejret igen says “We can check the weather again.” The coordinated infinitive phrase og beslutte os adds “and decide,” while så places that decision afterward: “We can check the weather again and decide then.”

7. Vi kan lave noget te, mens vi venter.

   We can make some tea while we wait.

   Vi kan

   we can

   lave

   make

   noget

   some

   te

   tea

   mens

   while

   venter

   wait

   More detail

   Vi kan means “we can.” Vi is the first-person plural pronoun “we.” Kan is the present-tense form of kunne (“can, be able to”). As a modal verb, kan is followed by an infinitive without an extra infinitive marker: Vi kan lave = “We can make.” lave means “make” here. It is the infinitive form, used after the modal kan. Danish lave is a broad verb for making or doing; the surrounding noun identifies the thing being made. Example: Jeg kan lave mad. — “I can make food.” noget means “some” in this sentence. Before a mass noun such as te, it indicates an unspecified amount, not a stated numerical quantity. A useful contrast is noget te (“some tea”) versus nogle kopper (“some cups”), where nogle is used with plural countable nouns. te means “tea.” It is the noun that supplies what is being made in lave noget te. Example: Vil du have te? — “Would you like tea?” mens means “while” and introduces the time clause that follows it. The pattern mens + clause connects an action with another action occurring during it. Example: Hun læser, mens han laver mad. — “She reads while he cooks.” venter means “wait” here and is the present-tense form of vente. Danish present-tense verbs generally do not change according to the subject: jeg venter and vi venter both use venter. In this sentence, vi is the understood subject of the subordinate clause, so vi venter means “we wait.” Together, Vi kan lave noget te says “We can make some tea.” mens vi venter adds that this can happen during the waiting: “while we wait.” The complete utterance is therefore “We can make some tea while we wait.”

8. Det vil hjælpe med at få tiden til at gå.

   That will help pass the time.

   Det

   That

   vil

   will

   hjælpe

   help

   med at

   with doing; to

   tiden

   the time

   få tiden til at gå

   pass the time

   More detail

   Det means “that” here and functions as the subject. Danish det is the neuter singular form; it can refer to a situation or event, not only to a neuter noun. The fixed translation supports “that,” but does not uniquely identify what det refers to. vil is the present form of the modal verb ville. With an infinitive, it commonly expresses what will happen or what someone expects or intends to happen: Det vil hjælpe = “That will help.” Vil does not change for person or number in this use. Ville can also mean “want” in other contexts, so the following verb and intended meaning matter. hjælpe is the infinitive of hjælpe, “to help.” After the modal vil, Danish uses the bare infinitive, so vil hjælpe means “will help,” rather than using a separately marked future form of hjælpe. Example: Det vil ændre meget. — “That will change a lot.” med at introduces an activity that something helps with. The pattern hjælpe med at + infinitive is reusable: Hun hjælper med at lave mad. — “She helps with making food.” Here, med at links hjælpe to the following activity; it does not itself say that the activity is completed. tiden is the definite singular form of tid, “time”: tid = “time,” tiden = “the time.” Danish commonly marks definiteness with a suffix on the noun rather than a separate word. Here, it is part of the fixed expression få tiden til at gå. få tiden til at gå is a reusable expression meaning “pass the time.” Its pattern is få + noun + til at + infinitive: it presents someone as causing the time to go. The expression means doing something that makes waiting time pass, not physically making time move. Example: Vi læser for at få tiden til at gå. — “We read to pass the time.” Together, Det vil hjælpe means “That will help,” and med at få tiden til at gå specifies what it will help with: passing the time. The complete utterance therefore means “That will help pass the time.”