Finding the Correct Platform | Learn Danish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Hørte du meddelelsen lige før?

   Did you hear the announcement just now?

   Hørte

   heard

   du

   you

   meddelelsen

   the announcement

   lige før

   just now

   More detail

   Hørte is the past-tense form of høre, “to hear.” The past form does not change for the subject’s person or number: jeg hørte, du hørte, and de hørte all use hørte. Example: Jeg hørte en lyd. — “I heard a sound.” du means “you” when addressing one person. In this question it is the subject, and its position after the verb is part of the question pattern. A statement has du hørte ... (“you heard ...”); a yes/no question commonly has verb–subject order: Hørte du ...? (“Did you hear ...?”). Danish does not require a separate informal form of du in this use. Meddelelsen means “the announcement” here. The base noun is meddelelse, “announcement/message”; meddelelsen is its definite singular form, marked by the ending -en. The definite form presents the announcement as identifiable in the situation, rather than simply “an announcement.” Example: Jeg læste meddelelsen. — “I read the announcement.” Lige før is a short time expression meaning “just now” in this sentence, referring to a very recent moment. Lige can strengthen the immediacy of a time expression, while før means “before/earlier” in this use. Example: Hun ringede lige før. — “She called just now.” Together, Hørte du forms the past yes/no-question pattern “Did you hear...?”, followed by meddelelsen (“the announcement”) and lige før (“just now”). Thus the whole utterance means “Did you hear the announcement just now?”

2. Toget kører fra en anden perron.

   The train is leaving from a different platform.

   Toget

   the train

   kører

   is driving; is running

   fra

   from

   anden

   different; other

   perron

   platform

   More detail

   Toget means “the train.” It is the definite singular form of tog (“train”): tog → toget. Danish commonly marks definiteness with a suffix attached to the noun, rather than with a separate word like “the.” Here the noun is the subject of the sentence. kører is the present form of køre (“to drive; to run; to travel”). With a train as subject, it describes the train’s movement or service, so the fixed translation naturally renders it as “is leaving.” The same verb can describe a vehicle being driven or a transport service operating, depending on context. Example: Toget kører klokken otte. — “The train runs/leaves at eight.” fra means “from” and introduces the place where the movement starts. The reusable pattern is køre fra + place: Vi kører fra stationen. — “We leave from the station.” anden means “another,” “different,” or “other” here. It is the common-gender singular form of the adjective-like form anden; compare andet with a neuter singular noun and andre with plural nouns. Its form agrees with perron, which is common gender and singular: en anden perron. In this sentence, en is an indefinite article, not a claim that the speaker is counting one platform; the phrase identifies a platform different from the one otherwise relevant. Example: Vi tager en anden vej. — “We take a different route.” perron means “platform,” specifically a station platform. It is a common-gender noun; its indefinite singular form is en perron, as in this sentence. The definite form is perronen (“the platform”). Together, Toget kører fra en anden perron has the structure “the train travels/leaves from a different platform”: the definite noun Toget is the moving subject, kører expresses its movement, fra marks the starting location, and en anden perron names that location as a platform different from the relevant one. The whole utterance therefore means “The train is leaving from a different platform.”

3. Tavlen siger, at vi skal bruge den anden perron i stedet.

   The board says we should use the other platform instead.

   Tavlen

   the board

   siger

   says

   vi skal

   we should

   bruge

   use

   den anden

   the other

   perron

   platform

   i stedet

   instead

   More detail

   Tavlen means “the board” here. It is the definite singular form of tavle (“board”): en tavle → tavlen. Danish commonly places the definite ending on the noun itself, rather than using a separate word corresponding to English “the”. siger is the present-tense form of sige (“say”). Danish verbs do not change their form for different subjects, so the same present form can occur with jeg, du, vi, or another subject. Example: Hun siger det. — “She says it.” vi skal combines vi (“we”) with the modal verb skal. In this sentence, skal expresses what the speakers should or are expected to do. The following verb stays in its infinitive form: subject + skal + infinitive. Example: Vi skal vente. — “We should wait.” bruge is the infinitive of bruge (“use”). After skal, it names the action that is required or intended: skal bruge — “should use”. The form does not receive a person ending here. den anden means “the other” in this noun phrase. anden is the common-gender singular form used with den; related forms include andet with a neuter singular noun and andre with plural nouns. Example: det andet spor — “the other track.” The choice here is supported by the singular common-gender noun perron. perron means “platform”. It is a common-gender noun; its definite form is perronen (“the platform”). In den anden perron, the noun remains indefinite in form because the preceding determiner den anden already makes the noun phrase definite. i stedet is a fixed adverbial construction meaning “instead”. It marks the alternative action: the speakers should use the other platform rather than the previously relevant option. Example: Vi tager bussen i stedet. — “We will take the bus instead.” The connector at introduces the content of what the board says: Tavlen siger, at ... — “The board says that ...”. The clause vi skal bruge den anden perron means “we should use the other platform”, and i stedet adds “instead”. Together, the utterance means: “The board says we should use the other platform instead.”

4. Så skal vi følge skiltene nu.

   Then we should follow the signs now.

   Så

   then

   skal vi

   we should

   følge

   follow

   skiltene

   the signs

   nu

   now

   More detail

   Så means “then” here and links this action to the situation just mentioned. It can also mean “so” in other contexts, so the surrounding meaning determines the best translation. skal vi is a reusable Danish pattern with the modal verb skal and the subject pronoun vi (“we”). In this sentence, skal expresses what the speakers should do, rather than a simple future prediction. The same form can express stronger obligation in another context. Example: Vi skal hjem nu. — “We have to go home now.” følge is the infinitive “follow.” After a modal such as skal, Danish uses the infinitive form: skal følge (“should follow”). Its base form is also følge; it does not change for the subject in this construction. Example: Hun skal følge guiden. — “She should follow the guide.” skiltene means “the signs.” The noun is skilt; its indefinite plural is skilte, and its definite plural is skiltene. The ending -ene marks a definite plural here, so the sentence refers to signs identified in the situation, not to one sign. Example: Jeg kan se skiltene. — “I can see the signs.” nu means “now” and places the action at the present time. It modifies the action as a whole: the following should happen now. Together, Så skal vi følge skiltene nu. means “Then we should follow the signs now.” The structure is then + should we + follow + the signs + now: the speakers decide that following the signs is the appropriate action at this point.

5. Har vi tid nok til at komme derhen?

   Do we have enough time to get there?

   Har vi

   do we have

   tid

   time

   nok

   enough

   til at

   to, in order to

   komme

   come; get

   derhen

   there, to that place

   More detail

   Har vi puts the finite verb har before the subject vi, forming a yes/no question: “Do we have …?” The verb’s base form is have; har is its present-tense form. In a statement, the same core order is vi har ... (“we have ...”). tid means “time” here. It is a noun: the indefinite form is tid, while the definite singular form is tiden (“the time”), and the plural is tider (“times” or “periods”). nok means “enough” in this sentence. After a noun, it commonly indicates that the amount meets the needed requirement: tid nok means “enough time.” This is different from meget (“much” or “a lot”), which describes a large amount without itself asserting that it is sufficient. til at introduces an infinitive phrase. In this sentence it connects the available time with the action that the time must allow: “to get there.” A reusable pattern is tid til at + infinitive, as in Jeg har tid til at læse — “I have time to read.” komme is the infinitive of “come” or, with a destination, “get to/reach.” Its present-tense form is kommer. Here the infinitive follows at, so at komme means “to get” in the sense of reaching a place. derhen is a directional adverb meaning “there” or “to that place.” It specifies movement toward a destination, unlike der, which generally refers to being at or in a place: Vi går derhen means “We are going there.” The exact place is supplied by the shared context rather than named in this sentence. Together, Har vi tid nok asks whether the group has a sufficient amount of time. til at komme derhen states what that time is needed for: reaching the contextually understood place. The complete meaning is therefore “Do we have enough time to get there?”

6. Det har vi, hvis vi går nu.

   We do if we leave now.

   Det har vi

   we do / we have that

   hvis

   if

   vi

   we

   går

   leave / go

   nu

   now

   More detail

   Det har vi is a compact affirmative pattern meaning “we do” or, more literally in a suitable context, “we have that.” Here it answers the preceding question about having enough time, so det refers to the situation or thing being affirmed; the translation presents the natural English equivalent as “we do.” Danish places har before vi in this pattern. har is the present form of have; the same form is used with different subjects in the present: jeg har, vi har, and so on. hvis introduces a condition and means “if.” A reusable pattern is hvis + clause: Hvis du kommer, spiser vi. — “If you come, we will eat.” The condition in this sentence is what follows it. vi means “we,” the first-person plural subject form. It refers to the speaker together with at least one other person, without identifying the group further. Danish subject pronouns include jeg (“I”), du (“you,” singular), and vi (“we”). går is the present form of gå, “go” or “leave.” In this context, the intended sense is leaving or setting off. Danish present går does not change for person or number: jeg går means “I go/am leaving,” while vi går means “we go/are leaving.” The past form is gik (“went”). nu means “now,” locating the leaving at the current time. It modifies the condition vi går: the relevant condition is that the group leaves now, not at some unspecified time. Together, hvis vi går nu means “if we leave now.” It is a conditional clause, and Det har vi supplies the affirmative answer: “We do, if we leave now.” In the supplied context, the complete utterance therefore means that there is enough time to get there provided the group leaves now.

7. Jeg holder min billet klar.

   I'll keep my ticket ready.

   Jeg

   I

   holder

   keep; hold

   min

   my

   billet

   ticket

   klar

   ready

   More detail

   Jeg means “I” here: the speaker is the subject. Danish subject pronouns include jeg “I,” du “you” (singular), and vi “we.” holder is the present-tense form of holde, “to hold” or “to keep.” In this sentence, holde ... klar is the reusable pattern “keep ... ready.” The fixed translation renders this future-oriented commitment as “I’ll keep”; the Danish verb form itself is present tense. Example: Jeg holder døren åben. — “I keep the door open.” min means “my” and modifies the singular noun billet. Danish possessives agree with the possessed noun: min is used with a common-gender singular noun, mit with a neuter-gender singular noun, and mine with plural nouns. The choice is determined by the noun, not by the possessor. billet means “ticket.” It is a common-gender noun: en billet means “a ticket,” and its definite form is billetten, “the ticket.” klar means “ready” here. It is an adjective describing the ticket’s state. Its form is klar with a common-gender singular noun, klart with a neuter singular noun, and klare with plural nouns and in definite attributive phrases. For example, den klare besked means “the clear message”; this is attributive use, whereas klar in the fixed sentence follows the object in the pattern holde [object] klar. Together, Jeg holder min billet klar combines the subject Jeg, the present form holder, the possessive min plus billet, and the state adjective klar: “I’ll keep my ticket ready.” The pattern holde ... klar gives the intended “keep ready” meaning rather than simple physical holding.

8. Hav den ved hånden; personalet tjekker den måske, før vi går om bord.

   Keep it handy; staff may check it before we board.

   Hav

   keep / have

   den

   it

   ved hånden

   handy / at hand

   personalet

   the staff

   tjekker

   checks

   måske

   perhaps / maybe

   før

   before

   vi

   we

   går

   go

   om bord

   aboard / on board

   More detail

   Hav is the imperative of have (“to have”). The imperative gives a direct instruction and normally has no expressed subject: Hav den klar. — “Have it ready.” den is a singular common-gender object pronoun, meaning “it” here. It refers to the item being kept ready; with the preceding context, a ticket is a supported reading. The form is different from the plural object pronoun dem (“them”). ved hånden is the idiomatic expression “at hand” or “handy.” Together, Hav den ved hånden means “Keep it handy,” rather than merely describing its physical position beside a hand. Hav telefonen ved hånden. — “Keep the phone handy.” personalet means “the staff.” It is the definite form of personale (“staff”): personale → personalet. Danish uses this form for the staff as the relevant group; it does not assert a particular number of individual staff members. tjekker is the present-tense form of tjekke (“to check”). Danish present tense can describe an expected or possible action without changing for the subject: Jeg tjekker — “I check / am checking”; de tjekker — “they check / are checking.” måske means “maybe” or “perhaps.” Here it marks the checking as possible, not certain. De kommer måske. — “They may come.” før introduces a time clause meaning “before.” It connects the possible check with the later event: Ring, før du går. — “Call before you leave.” vi is the first-person plural subject pronoun, “we.” It identifies the people who perform the action in the following clause. Danish distinguishes vi (“we”) from jeg (“I”) and de (“they”). går is the present-tense form of gå (“to go”). In vi går, it means “we go” or, in this context, “we board.” The same present form can describe a current, scheduled, or contextually upcoming action. om bord is the fixed expression “aboard / on board.” With gå, gå om bord means “to board” or “to go aboard”: Vi går om bord nu. — “We are boarding now.” The structure is Hav den ved hånden; personalet tjekker den måske, før vi går om bord. The first clause gives the instruction to keep the item handy. The second says that the staff may check that item before the group boards. Together, the fixed utterance means: “Keep it handy; staff may check it before we board.”