Leaving Space in a Crowded Line | Learn Danish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Der bliver virkelig trangt i køen.

   This line is getting really crowded.

   Der bliver

   is becoming

   virkelig

   really

   trangt

   crowded

   køen

   the line

   More detail

   Der bliver is a reusable Danish pattern meaning that a situation is becoming a certain way. Here, der is an impersonal, formal subject rather than a named participant, and bliver is the present tense of blive (“become”). With an adjective, Der bliver + adjective describes a change of state: Der bliver koldt. — “It is getting cold.” virkelig is an adverb meaning “really” or “very” here. It intensifies the following description, trangt; it does not mean “true” in this sentence. For example, Det er virkelig vigtigt. means “It is really important.” trangt means “cramped” or “tight” here. Its base form is trang; trangt is the neuter singular form of the adjective. In the impersonal pattern der bliver trangt, this form describes the situation or available space, rather than agreeing directly with køen. A useful contrast is en trang plads — “a cramped space” — versus et trangt rum — “a cramped room.” køen means “the line” or “the queue” here. Its base noun is kø, and -en marks common-gender definite singular: en kø — “a queue,” køen — “the queue.” The preposition i before it makes i køen, “in the line.” Together, Der bliver virkelig trangt says that the situation is becoming very cramped, and i køen locates that situation in the queue. The whole utterance therefore means: “This line is getting really crowded.”

2. Lad os give lidt plads i siden.

   Let's leave some room on the side.

   Lad os

   let's

   give

   give; leave

   lidt

   some; a little

   plads

   room; space

   i siden

   on the side

   More detail

   Lad os is the Danish “let’s” construction. Lad is the imperative of lade (“let”), and os means “us”; together they propose that the speaker and others do the action that follows. Example: Lad os gå. — “Let’s go.” give is the infinitive of give (“give”). In give plads, it forms a useful expression meaning “make room” or “leave space,” rather than referring to handing over an object. Example: Giv plads! — “Make room!” lidt means “some” or “a little” here. It indicates a small, non-specific amount of plads; it does not by itself state a precise quantity. Example: Jeg har lidt tid. — “I have a little time.” plads means “room” or “space” here. It is also used for a physical place or spot in other contexts, as in en plads (“a place/a spot”). In this sentence, give plads makes the relevant meaning “make room.” Example: Der er ikke meget plads. — “There isn’t much room.” i siden means “on the side” or “at the side.” siden is the definite form of side (“side”), and the preposition i places the space there. The phrase identifies where the room should be left; it does not specify which side unless the surrounding situation does so. Together, Lad os give lidt plads i siden. means “Let’s leave some room on the side.” The proposal is formed with Lad os, followed by the infinitive give; lidt plads specifies a small amount of room, and i siden specifies its location.

3. Skal jeg flytte mig lidt tilbage?

   Should I move back a little?

   Skal jeg

   Should I…?

   flytte

   move

   mig

   me; myself

   lidt

   a little

   tilbage

   back

   More detail

   Skal jeg combines present skal with jeg (“I”) in a question. Here skal is the present form of skulle and expresses what the speaker should or is expected to do; with the subject after the modal, it forms a yes/no question. A useful pattern is Skal jeg + infinitive? — “Should I …?” For example: Skal jeg vente? — “Should I wait?” flytte means “move.” It is the infinitive form, used after the modal skal; Danish does not add an infinitive marker equivalent to English “to” here. The verb can describe changing position, as in this sentence, or moving an object in another context. Example: Jeg vil flytte stolen. — “I want to move the chair.” mig is the object/reflexive form corresponding to jeg. With flytte mig, it shows that the speaker moves themself rather than moving a separate object. The pronoun form is jeg when it is the subject and mig when it is the object or reflexive object: Jeg flytter mig. — “I move myself.” lidt means “a little” or “slightly.” Here it modifies the amount of the movement, making it limited rather than specifying an exact quantity. It can also modify an adjective or another adverb, for example lidt lettere — “a little easier.” tilbage means “back,” indicating movement toward a previous position or farther from the relevant area. It follows lidt here, giving the pattern lidt tilbage — “a little back.” Together, Skal jeg flytte mig lidt tilbage? asks whether the speaker should move themself slightly back. The intended meaning is “Should I move back a little?”

4. Så er det lettere for folk at komme forbi.

   That would make it easier for people to pass.

   Så

   then / so

   er det

   it is

   lettere

   easier

   folk

   people

   at komme forbi

   to pass by

   More detail

   Så means “then” or “so” here and links the statement to the situation just established. Danish så can also introduce a consequence; Så er ... is a useful pattern meaning “Then/so ... is ...”. er det consists of er, the present form of være (“to be”), and det, a neuter singular pronoun meaning “it” here. Together they make the frame “it is”. The form er is the present form with both singular and plural subjects, so it does not itself show a number distinction. lettere means “easier” here. It is the comparative form of the adjective let (“easy”); the basic chain is let → lettere (“easier”) → lettest (“easiest”). The comparative presents the situation as easier than an understood alternative or earlier situation. Example: Det er lettere nu. — “It is easier now.” folk is a noun meaning “people”. Here it refers generally to the people who need to pass, without identifying particular individuals. Folk is commonly used for people as a group; for one individual, Danish can use en person (“a person”). at komme forbi is an infinitive construction: at marks the infinitive, komme means “come”, and forbi adds the sense “past/by”. Together, komme forbi means “pass by” in this context. Komme is the base form; Danish uses at before an infinitive in many constructions, as in Det er godt at komme. — “It is good to come.” The sentence assembles as Så (“then/so”) + er det (“it is”) + lettere (“easier”) + for folk (“for people”) + at komme forbi (“to pass by”). Literally, this is “Then/so it is easier for people to pass.” In the supplied context, the fixed translation naturally expresses that consequence as “That would make it easier for people to pass.”

5. Er det langt nok?

   Is this far enough?

   Er det

   is it

   langt

   far

   nok

   enough

   More detail

   Er det starts a yes/no question through subject–verb inversion: er is the present form of være (“to be”), and det is the pronoun “it/that.” In this fixed sentence, the translation identifies the thing or situation being assessed as “this”; the pronoun’s grammatical form is neuter singular. Compare the ordinary statement Det er langt (“It is far”) with the question Er det langt? (“Is it far?”). langt means “far” here. Its base adjective is lang (“far” or “long,” depending on context); langt is the neuter singular form used with neuter det. Danish also uses langt in some adverbial uses, but here it describes the distance associated with det. The word can describe physical distance, as in Hvor langt er der? (“How far is it?”). nok means “enough” and sets a sufficient degree. The pattern adjective + nok means “adjective enough”: stor nok means “big enough,” and langt nok means “far enough.” In Er det stort nok?, the translation is “Is it big enough?” Together, Er det asks whether the relevant thing or situation has the property, langt supplies the distance, and nok asks whether that distance reaches the needed degree. The complete meaning is “Is this far enough?”

6. Der er fri passage nu.

   There is a clear path now.

   Der er

   there is/are

   fri

   clear; free

   passage

   passage; path

   nu

   now

   More detail

   Der er is the Danish existential pattern meaning “there is” or “there are.” Der is a structural subject in this pattern, not a word meaning a particular place, and er is the present-tense form of være (“to be”). The pattern introduces something that exists or is available: Der er kaffe på bordet. — “There is coffee on the table.” fri means “clear” here: unobstructed or open for use. It is the adjective’s common-gender form; its main related forms are frit with a neuter singular noun and frie in plural or definite combinations. In this utterance, fri passage describes passage as unobstructed, rather than saying that someone or something is free in a general sense. Example: Døren er fri. — “The doorway is clear.” passage is a noun meaning a passage or a route through a space. Its plural is passager. In fri passage, it refers to an unobstructed way through, which the fixed translation renders as “a clear path.” Example: Der er en passage mellem husene. — “There is a passage between the houses.” nu is the adverb “now,” locating the situation at the present time. It can be contrasted with før (“before”) or senere (“later”). Example: Det er muligt nu. — “It is possible now.” Together, Der er fri passage states that an unobstructed route exists, and nu adds that this is true at the present time. The complete meaning is: “There is a clear path now.”

7. Jeg kan stille mig tættere på væggen.

   I can stand closer to the wall.

   Jeg kan

   I can

   stille mig

   position myself

   tættere

   closer

   væggen

   the wall

   More detail

   Jeg kan means “I can” here. Jeg is the first-person singular pronoun “I”. kan is the present form of kunne, “can/be able to”. With kan, the following verb stays in the infinitive: Jeg kan ... = “I can ...”. In this sentence, it expresses the speaker’s ability or the possibility of the action, not that the action has already happened. stille mig means “position myself”. stille is the infinitive of the verb meaning “to place or position”, and mig is the first-person object/reflexive form “myself” in this construction. The reusable pattern is stille sig (“position oneself”); the form changes with the person, for example Hun stiller sig = “She positions herself.” After kan, Danish uses the infinitive stille, not the present form stiller. tættere means “closer”. It is the comparative form related to tæt, “close”. A useful chain is tæt → tættere → tættest (“close” → “closer” → “closest”). The comparative normally indicates a comparison with a previous or understood position or distance; the sentence does not specify the exact distance. væggen means “the wall”. The indefinite noun is en væg (“a wall”), and its singular definite form is væggen (“the wall”). The ending -en marks definiteness for this noun. The preposition på connects the distance expression to its reference: tættere på væggen means “closer to the wall”. Together, Jeg kan stille mig tættere på væggen says that it is possible for the speaker to position themself closer to the wall: “I can stand closer to the wall.” The modal kan describes the possibility, while stille mig describes the self-directed positioning; it does not by itself say that the speaker has already moved.

8. Så er der fri passage.

   That keeps the walkway open.

   Så

   that way; then

   er der

   there is

   fri

   open; free

   passage

   passage; walkway

   More detail

   Så means “so” or “then” here, linking this statement to the preceding situation. It is not the demonstrative “that” in this use. A reusable pattern is så + clause: “so/then ...”. er der is the Danish existential pattern corresponding to “there is/are”. er is the present form of være (“to be”), and der functions here as the existential subject-like element rather than identifying a specific place. Danish places the verb before the noun phrase in this pattern: der er ... means “there is ...”; after an initial element such as så, the order becomes så er der .... fri is the adjective “free” in the sense of unobstructed or available. It modifies passage here and has the form used with this noun. In another context, fri can also mean “free” in the sense of not controlled or not occupied, so the surrounding noun determines the relevant sense. Example: Døren er fri. — “The door is unobstructed.” passage is a noun meaning a passage or walkway: a route through which people can move. Example: Der er passage gennem rummet. — “There is a passage through the room.” Together, så er der introduces an existing situation, and fri passage names what exists: an unobstructed route. The whole utterance means “That keeps the walkway open,” with så connecting the result to the preceding situation. It can also be understood more literally as “Then there is free passage.”