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Sentence explanations

1. Hvad skal vi gøre nu?

   What should we do now?

   Hvad

   what

   skal vi

   should we

   gøre

   do

   nu

   now

   More detail

   Hvad means “what” and asks about an unspecified thing, action, or choice. It is the Danish question word used when the answer is not a person. For example: Hvad læser du? — “What are you reading?” Skal vi combines skal, the present form of skulle, with vi, “we.” Here skal expresses what the speaker proposes or asks that the group should do; it is not simply a statement of physical movement. Vi is the first-person plural pronoun, referring to the speaker together with at least one other person. In a question, Danish places the verb before the subject: Skal vi ...? — “Shall we ...?” or “Should we ...?” Gøre is the infinitive of gøre, “to do.” After the modal verb skal, the following verb appears in the infinitive: skal vi gøre — “should we do.” The same pattern can be reused with another infinitive, for example Skal vi vente? — “Should we wait?” Nu means “now,” referring to the present time. It limits the proposed action to the current moment or situation. For example: Vi begynder nu. — “We are starting now.” Together, Hvad asks which action or course of action is intended, skal vi gøre asks what the speaker and the others should do, and nu specifies the time. The whole utterance therefore means: “What should we do now?”

2. Lad os begynde med den korte liste.

   Let's start with the short list.

   Lad os

   let's

   begynde

   begin; start

   med

   with

   den

   the

   korte

   short

   liste

   list

   More detail

   Lad os is a reusable way to say “let's” in Danish. lad is the imperative of lade (“let”), and os means “us”; together they introduce a suggestion or instruction addressed to the speaker and others. The following verb is normally in the infinitive: Lad os vente. — “Let's wait.” begynde means “to begin” or “to start.” This is the infinitive form of begynde, used here after Lad os. The phrase begynde med means “start with”: Vi begynder med kaffen. — “We start with the coffee.” med means “with” and marks what the activity starts with in this sentence. It can also introduce accompaniment in other contexts, as in Jeg går med dig. — “I am going with you.” den korte liste is the definite noun phrase “the short list.” den is the definite article used with a singular common-gender noun; here it marks the list as definite. korte is the definite form of the adjective kort (“short”). In Danish, an adjective in a definite noun phrase commonly takes this -e form: den lange vej — “the long road.” liste is the noun “list.” Although the phrase is definite, the noun itself remains in its basic form after den: den korte liste, not a separate definite ending on liste. Together, Lad os begynde med den korte liste means “Let's start with the short list.” The suggestion is formed by Lad os + infinitive begynde; med connects begynde to the starting material, and den korte liste identifies that material as the particular short list intended here.

3. Skal vi gøre den færdig, før vi gennemgår filen?

   Should we finish it before reviewing the file?

   Skal vi

   should we

   gøre

   do; make

   den

   it

   færdig

   finished

   før

   before

   gennemgår

   review

   filen

   the file

   More detail

   Skal vi is a reusable way to ask for a suggestion or agreement: skal is the present form of skulle, used here as a modal meaning “should,” and vi means “we.” In a question, the modal comes before the subject: Skal vi ...? Compare the statement order Vi skal ... (“We should ...”). gøre is the infinitive of gøre, “do” or “make.” After the modal skal, Danish uses the infinitive without an extra infinitive marker: skal gøre. Here, gøre ... færdig is the useful pattern “finish something” literally “make something finished.” den is a singular common-gender form meaning “it” here. Its grammatical form does not by itself identify the exact thing referred to; the fixed translation supports the intended object as the thing to be finished. The same form can also function as the definite article before a common-gender noun, but that is not its role here. færdig means “finished” or “complete” in this construction. It describes the resulting state of den, not the base form of the noun. With a common-gender singular object, the form is færdig; with a neuter singular object, the corresponding adjective form is commonly færdigt, as in the example gøre det færdigt — “finish it.” før introduces the time condition “before.” It links the main question to the action that must happen later: før ... = “before ...”. gennemgår is the present-tense form of gennemgå, “go through” or “review.” The ending marks present tense here; after vi, the form is still gennemgår, as Danish verbs generally do not change for person. Example: Vi gennemgår planen. — “We review the plan.” filen means “the file.” It is the definite singular form of fil: fil = “a file,” filen = “the file.” The ending -en marks definiteness for this common-gender noun. Together, Skal vi gøre den færdig? asks whether the speakers should finish the relevant item. før vi gennemgår filen sets the timing: that finishing should happen before they review the file. The whole utterance therefore means, “Should we finish it before reviewing the file?”

4. Vi kan hurtigt komme igennem den, hvis vi deler arbejdet.

   We can get through it quickly if we split the work.

   Vi kan

   we can

   hurtigt

   quickly

   komme igennem

   get through

   den

   it

   hvis

   if

   vi deler

   we split

   arbejdet

   the work

   More detail

   Vi kan combines vi (“we”) with the modal verb kan (“can”). Kan expresses ability or possibility here and is followed by an infinitive without at: Vi kan komme = “We can get through.” The subject form vi is used for “we”; it does not change according to the object that follows. hurtigt means “quickly” and describes how the action happens. It is the adverb related to the adjective hurtig (“quick”). Compare: Det går hurtigt. — “It is going quickly.” komme igennem is a reusable verb construction meaning “get through” or “make it through” something. In this sentence, komme is the infinitive required after kan, while igennem completes the construction. The object is placed after it: Vi kommer igennem opgaven. — “We get through the task.” den is a singular common-gender pronoun used here for “it,” as established by the fixed translation. Its exact noun referent is not uniquely identified by the supplied texts. The pronoun itself marks the object as singular and common gender; it does not state what that object is. hvis introduces a condition and means “if.” The clause beginning with it gives the condition for the possibility in the first clause: “if we split the work.” vi deler contains the same subject pronoun vi (“we”) and deler, the present-tense form of dele (“split,” “divide,” or “share”). Here it means “split” the work. The present form can express the action in this conditional arrangement: Hvis vi deler opgaven ... — “If we split the task ...” arbejdet means “the work.” Its base noun is arbejde; arbejdet is the definite singular form, formed with the ending -t because arbejde is a neuter noun. The definite form presents the work as identifiable in the situation, without itself expressing a numerical quantity. Together, Vi kan hurtigt komme igennem den means “We can get through it quickly.” hvis vi deler arbejdet adds the condition “if we split the work.” The complete utterance is therefore: “We can get through it quickly if we split the work.”

5. Så tager jeg den første del.

   Then I'll take the first part.

   Så

   then

   tager

   take

   jeg

   I

   den

   it

   første

   first

   del

   part

   More detail

   Så means “then” here and links the utterance to the preceding situation: after agreeing to divide the work, the speaker announces what they will take. It can also mean “so” in other contexts, but “then” is the relevant meaning here. tager is the present-tense form of tage, “to take.” Danish present tense can describe a future or immediately forthcoming choice when the context makes that clear; here, Så and the English translation support “I’ll take,” rather than only a present-time action. Example: Jeg tager den. — “I’ll take it.” jeg means “I” and identifies the speaker as the person taking the part. It is the first-person singular pronoun. Its object-form counterpart is mig, as in Hun hjælper mig — “She helps me.” den means “it” here and is the singular common-gender form used for the already identified item. Its referent is the del (“part”) being divided and assigned. Danish uses den with common-gender singular nouns and det with neuter singular nouns; this is a grammatical form distinction, not a statement that the item is a person. første means “first.” It is the ordinal form corresponding to the number en (“one”) and marks the part's position in an order. For comparison, første, anden, tredje mean “first,” “second,” and “third.” Example: Hun bor på første sal. — “She lives on the first floor.” del means “part” or “portion.” It is a common-gender noun: en del is “a part,” while delen is “the part.” In this sentence, den første del is “the first part,” with den and første specifying the definite noun del. Together, tager jeg den første del means “I take the first part,” with Danish placing the subject jeg after the finite verb tager because Så occupies the first position. With the future-oriented context, the complete utterance means: “Then I’ll take the first part.”

6. Jeg tager mig af resten.

   I'll handle the rest.

   Jeg

   I

   tager mig af

   handle; deal with

   resten

   the rest

   More detail

   Jeg is the first-person singular pronoun, “I.” It identifies the speaker as the person carrying out the action. Example: Jeg kommer nu. — “I’m coming now.” tager mig af is the construction tage sig af, meaning “to handle,” “take care of,” or “deal with” something. Here tager is the present-tense form of tage (“take”), while mig is the reflexive form used with a first-person singular subject. The reflexive form changes with the subject: Jeg tager mig af ... — “I take care of ...”; Hun tager sig af ... — “She takes care of ...”. The meaning “handle” comes from the complete construction tage sig af, not from tager alone. Example: Jeg tager mig af problemet. — “I’ll handle the problem.” resten means “the rest” or “the remainder.” It is the definite form related to rest (“rest,” “remainder”), presenting the remainder as an identifiable part of the situation. Example: Du kan tage resten. — “You can take the rest.” Together, Jeg tager mig af resten. means “I’ll handle the rest.” The present-tense form tager is understood with the future-oriented intention supplied by the utterance and context; it does not require a separate future auxiliary here. The sentence assigns the speaker responsibility for dealing with the remaining part.

7. Derefter kan vi se på det, der er uklart.

   After that, we can review anything unclear.

   Derefter

   after that

   kan vi

   we can

   se på

   look at; review

   det

   it; that

   uklart

   unclear

   More detail

   Derefter means “after that” and places the action later than an already mentioned event. It is a useful adverb for sequencing events. Example: Derefter går vi videre. — “After that, we move on.” kan vi combines the present form kan of kunne (“can”) with the subject vi (“we”). Here, kan expresses possibility: the reviewing can take place. Because Derefter is placed first, Danish main-clause word order puts the finite verb before the subject: Derefter kan vi .... The following verb remains in the infinitive, and Danish uses no at before this modal infinitive. Example: Vi kan vente. — “We can wait.” se på is the reusable combination “look at” or, with a matter or document, “review.” The verb is se; på completes this use by directing attention toward something. Example: Vi ser på planen. — “We are reviewing the plan.” det is a neuter singular pronoun meaning “it” or “that” here. The following clause der er uklart specifies what it refers to, giving the sense “what is unclear,” which matches “anything unclear” in the fixed translation. The form’s neuter singular marking is a grammatical constraint; the sentence does not identify one particular unclear item. Example: Jeg vælger det, der er bedst. — “I choose what is best.” uklart is the neuter singular form of the adjective uklar, “unclear.” It agrees with the neuter singular det in det, der er uklart; it is not an inflection of the verb er. Compare en uklar besked (“an unclear message”) with et uklart svar (“an unclear answer”). Together, Derefter sets the time sequence, kan vi expresses that reviewing is possible for “we,” and se på det, der er uklart identifies the material for review as whatever is unclear. The complete meaning is: “After that, we can review anything unclear.”

8. Jeg åbner filen, når listen er færdig.

   I'll open the file when the list is done.

   Jeg

   I

   åbner

   open

   filen

   the file

   når

   when

   listen

   the list

   er

   is

   færdig

   finished; done

   More detail

   Jeg means “I” and is the first-person singular subject. Danish subject pronouns include jeg “I,” du “you” (singular), and vi “we.” åbner means “open” here. It is the present-tense form of åbne (“to open”); Danish present-tense verbs generally do not change for the subject, so the same form can occur with different persons. In this sentence, the present form refers to the planned opening in the future, while the time clause places that opening at the time the list is finished. Example: Jeg åbner døren. — “I open/will open the door.” filen means “the file.” It is the definite singular form of the common-gender noun fil: en fil means “a file,” while filen means “the file.” The ending -en marks definiteness here; it does not itself state a numerical count. når introduces a time clause meaning “when.” It connects an event with the time at which it happens. Example: Jeg ringer, når jeg er hjemme. — “I’ll call when I am home.” listen means “the list.” It is the definite singular form of liste: en liste means “a list,” and listen means “the list.” This noun is common gender, so its definite singular ending is -en. er means “is” here. It is the present-tense form of være (“to be”); unlike English, Danish uses this same present form with different subjects, for example jeg er (“I am”) and de er (“they are”). færdig means “finished” or “done” here. It is an adjective used after er to describe the state of listen. With a common-gender singular noun in this predicative use, the form is færdig; compare færdigt with a neuter singular noun. The form færdige is used, for example, with plural nouns and in attributive definite noun phrases such as den færdige liste (“the finished list”). Example: Arbejdet er færdigt. — “The work is finished.” Together, Jeg åbner filen means “I’ll open the file,” and når listen er færdig means “when the list is done.” The complete utterance therefore means “I’ll open the file when the list is done.” Danish can use the present form åbner for this future event, just as the English translation uses “I’ll open”; the time clause identifies when the opening will occur.