Feedback on a proposal draft | Learn Danish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Jeg er færdig med et udkast til forslaget.

   I finished a draft of the proposal.

   Jeg er

   I am

   færdig

   finished; done

   udkast

   draft

   forslaget

   the proposal

   More detail

   Jeg er uses være (“to be”) in the present tense: er. Jeg is the first-person singular subject, so this part means “I am.” Example: Jeg er klar. — “I am ready.” færdig is an adjective meaning “finished” or “done” here. With med, the pattern være færdig med + noun says that the subject has completed working on, dealing with, or producing the thing named after med; it does not by itself say that the noun itself is finished. Example: Jeg er færdig med arbejdet. — “I am finished with the work.” The form færdig is used here with Jeg. In other contexts, Danish has færdigt with a neuter singular noun and færdige with plural or definite attributive forms. udkast is a noun meaning “draft,” an initial version of a text or proposal. Here it follows the neuter singular indefinite article et: et udkast, “a draft.” The article marks grammatical form; it does not by itself assert a numerical count as a special teaching point. Example: Jeg skriver et udkast. — “I am writing a draft.” forslaget is the definite singular form of forslag, “proposal.” The base form is forslag; the ending -et forms forslaget, “the proposal.” Example: Forslaget er klart. — “The proposal is ready.” The remaining small parts combine as med et udkast til forslaget: the speaker is finished with a draft, and til forslaget identifies the proposal that the draft concerns. Thus the whole utterance means “I am finished with a draft of the proposal,” naturally rendered by the supplied translation as “I finished a draft of the proposal.”

2. Jeg kan gennemgå det, før du deler det.

   I can review it before you share it.

   Jeg kan

   I can

   gennemgå

   review; go through

   det

   it

   før

   before

   du

   you

   deler

   share

   More detail

   Jeg kan means “I can” here. Jeg is the first-person singular pronoun “I”, and kan is the present form of kunne, “can/be able to”. In Danish, kan is followed by an infinitive without at: Jeg kan læse means “I can read.” gennemgå means “review” or “go through” the material. It is an infinitive, required here after kan; the form does not change for the subject in this construction. Example: Jeg kan gennemgå teksten. — “I can review the text.” det means “it” in this sentence and functions as the object of gennemgå. It is the neuter singular form used for a specific item already understood from the context; the fixed translation identifies the intended reference only as “it.” Danish distinguishes det for neuter singular nouns from den for common-gender singular nouns, while plural “they/them” is commonly de in subject position and dem in object position. før introduces a time relation meaning “before”. It is followed here by a clause rather than by an isolated noun: før ... = “before ...”. du is the second-person singular pronoun “you”. It is the subject of the clause after før. Danish uses du for one person in both informal and many ordinary direct-address contexts; the form itself does not mark the listener’s gender. deler means “share” here. It is the present-tense form of dele, “to share”, with du as its subject: du deler = “you share.” Danish present-tense verbs generally do not change according to the subject, so the same form can occur with other subjects, such as jeg deler — “I share.” Together, Jeg kan gennemgå det says “I can review it.” The time clause før du deler det adds “before you share it”: the review is placed earlier than the sharing. The complete utterance therefore means, “I can review it before you share it.”

3. Kan du tjekke introduktionsafsnittet?

   Could you check the introduction section?

   Kan du

   can you

   tjekke

   check

   introduktionsafsnittet

   the introduction section

   More detail

   Kan du is a reusable Danish question pattern: kan is the present form of kunne (“can/be able to”), and du means “you” as the subject. In a question, the verb comes before the subject. With a following infinitive, Kan du ...? commonly makes a request; here it is naturally rendered as “Could you ...?” tjekke is the infinitive of tjekke, “to check”. After the modal kan, Danish uses the infinitive without an infinitive marker: kan tjekke = “can/could check”. Example: Kan du tjekke dette? — “Could you check this?” introduktionsafsnittet means “the introduction section” here. It is a compound noun: introduktion + afsnit (“section”), with the definite form of afsnit in the compound: introduktionsafsnit = “an introduction section”, introduktionsafsnittet = “the introduction section”. The ending -et marks this singular definite form of the neuter noun afsnit. Together, Kan du + tjekke + introduktionsafsnittet forms a direct request: “Could you check the introduction section?”

4. Hovedideen er klar.

   The main idea is clear.

   Hovedideen

   the main idea

   er

   is

   klar

   clear

   More detail

   Hovedideen means “the main idea” here. It is the definite singular form of hovedidé (“main idea”): hovedidé = “a main idea” and hovedideen = “the main idea.” The ending -en marks common-gender definite singular in this noun. The noun is the subject of the sentence. er is the present-tense form of være (“to be”). It is used with the singular subject Hovedideen. Danish er does not change for person or number in the present tense. For example, Afsnittet er kort. means “The section is short.” klar means “clear” in this sentence. It is an adjective describing the subject through er. With a common-gender singular noun such as ideen, the form is klar; Danish adjectives can take other forms in other grammatical environments, so the form should be chosen according to the noun phrase rather than assumed to be invariant. Together, Hovedideen er klar. has the reusable pattern definite noun + er + adjective: “The main idea is clear.” It states that the main idea is clear, while the following context separately comments that the section seems too long.

5. Men afsnittet virker for langt.

   But the section feels too long.

   Men

   but

   afsnittet

   the section

   virker

   seems

   for langt

   too long

   More detail

   Men means “but” and links this sentence to the preceding statement: “The main idea is clear.” It marks a contrast between the idea being clear and the section’s length being a problem. It is a conjunction and does not change form. afsnittet means “the section.” Its base form is afsnit (“section”); afsnittet is the singular definite form, corresponding to “the section.” Danish commonly marks definiteness with an ending rather than a separate word: et afsnit = “a section,” afsnittet = “the section.” virker means “seems” or “appears” here. It is the present-tense form of virke, “to seem” in this use. The same verb can also mean “to work” or “to function” in another context, but that is not the meaning in this sentence. Example: Det virker rigtigt. — “It seems right.” for langt means “too long.” for means “too” here, expressing an excessive degree; it is not part of the adjective’s base form. langt is the form of lang (“long”) used with the neuter noun afsnit in this construction. Useful comparison forms are lang/langt (“long”), længere (“longer”), and længst (“longest”). Example: Brevet er for langt. — “The letter is too long.” Together, afsnittet virker says “the section seems,” and for langt describes its excessive length. The complete utterance is: “But the section feels too long.” Here “feels” is the natural English rendering of Danish virker; the Danish wording literally presents the length as something that seems excessive.

6. Skal jeg flytte nogle detaljer til et andet afsnit?

   Should I move some details to another section?

   Skal jeg

   Should I

   flytte

   move

   detaljer

   details

   andet

   another

   afsnit

   section

   More detail

   Skal jeg is a reusable Danish question pattern: skal is the present form of the modal verb skulle, and jeg is the first-person singular subject. Together, with the following infinitive, it asks whether the speaker should or is supposed to do something. The subject comes after the modal in this question. Example: Skal jeg vente? — “Should I wait?” flytte means “move” here, specifically relocate something. It is the infinitive, used after the modal skal without at. Example: Vi skal flytte bordet. — “We have to move the table.” detaljer is the plural of detalje, “detail.” The phrase nogle detaljer means “some details”: nogle marks an indefinite plural quantity, while detaljer names the things being moved. Example: Jeg mangler nogle detaljer. — “I am missing some details.” andet means “another” in et andet afsnit. This form is the neuter singular form of anden; compare en anden with a common-gender singular noun and andre in the plural. The form is chosen because afsnit is neuter and is introduced here by et. Example: Vi vælger et andet eksempel. — “We choose another example.” afsnit means “section” in this sentence; depending on context, it can also refer to a paragraph or other division of a text. It is a neuter noun: et afsnit; its plural is also afsnit, as in flere afsnit — “several sections.” The word et is the neuter singular indefinite article, not by itself a claim about a numerical quantity. The remaining short words connect the structure: nogle detaljer is the object, and til et andet afsnit gives the destination, “to another section.” Thus Skal jeg flytte nogle detaljer til et andet afsnit? assembles as “Should I move some details to another section?”

7. Læg de ekstra detaljer i baggrundsafsnittet.

   Put the extra details in the background section.

   Læg

   put; place

   de

   the (plural)

   ekstra

   extra

   detaljer

   details

   i

   in

   baggrundsafsnittet

   the background section

   More detail

   Læg is the imperative of lægge, “to put/place.” The imperative is used for a direct instruction, so Læg ... means “Put ...”. Compare lægger for present-time statements and lagde for past-time statements. de is the definite article used with a plural noun phrase: “the.” Here it makes the details a specific, already identifiable set. Danish also uses den with common-gender singular nouns and det with neuter singular nouns. ekstra means “extra” here. It is an adjective that does not change form in this plural noun phrase. For example, ekstra oplysninger means “extra information.” detaljer is the plural of detalje, “detail.” The phrase de ekstra detaljer therefore means “the extra details.” The noun is plural, while the adjective ekstra remains unchanged. i is a preposition meaning “in” here. It introduces the place where the details should be put. For example, i dokumentet means “in the document.” baggrundsafsnittet means “the background section.” It is a compound: baggrund means “background” and afsnit means “section”; the ending -et marks the definite form of this neuter singular noun, “the section.” The compound is written as one word in Danish. Together, Læg de ekstra detaljer gives the instruction “Put the extra details,” and i baggrundsafsnittet specifies the destination. The complete utterance is: “Put the extra details in the background section.”

8. Jeg retter udkastet og sender det tilbage.

   I will revise the draft and send it back.

   Jeg

   I

   retter

   revise

   udkastet

   the draft

   sender

   send

   det

   it

   tilbage

   back

   More detail

   Jeg means “I” and is the first-person singular subject pronoun. It identifies the speaker as the person carrying out both actions. Danish subject pronouns include jeg “I”, du “you” (singular), and vi “we”. retter means “revise” here. Its base form is rette; retter is the present-tense form used with jeg. Danish present tense can also describe a planned or expected future action when the context makes that clear, as in this sentence’s translation “I will revise”. Example: Jeg retter teksten i morgen. — “I will revise the text tomorrow.” udkastet means “the draft”. It is the definite form of udkast “draft”: et udkast is “a draft”, while udkastet is “the draft”. The ending -et marks definiteness for this neuter noun; it does not itself state a quantity. og links the two coordinated actions: “and”. It connects retter udkastet with sender det tilbage. sender means “send” here. Its base form is sende, and sender is the present-tense form used with jeg. As with retter, the present form can express a future plan in a suitable context. Example: Jeg sender filen senere. — “I will send the file later.” det means “it” here and refers to udkastet, the draft. Danish det is the neuter singular third-person pronoun; its form matches the grammatical gender of the noun it replaces, not the noun’s role as an object. The plural pronoun is dem, while common-gender singular uses den. tilbage means “back”. With a verb of sending, it indicates return to an understood earlier place, person, or source. The word itself does not identify that destination; the sentence only says that the draft will be sent back. Together, Jeg retter udkastet says “I will revise the draft”. Og sender det tilbage adds the coordinated action “and send it back”; the shared subject jeg is understood with sender. Danish uses the present-tense forms retter and sender to express the planned future actions here. The complete meaning is: “I will revise the draft and send it back.”

9. Send den nye version, når den er klar.

   Send the new version when it is ready.

   Send

   send

   den

   the

   nye

   new

   version

   version

   når

   when

   den

   it

   er

   is

   klar

   ready

   More detail

   Send is the imperative of sende (“to send”). The imperative is used for a direct request or instruction. Example: Send filen. — “Send the file.” The first den is the Danish definite article for a singular common-gender noun. Here it identifies version as a specific version: “the version.” The article does not itself state a numerical quantity. nye means “new” here. Its base form is ny; nye is the form used with a definite noun and also with plural nouns. In this sentence, den nye version is singular and definite, so the adjective takes nye rather than the indefinite singular form ny. Example: den nye bog — “the new book.” version is a noun meaning “version.” The phrase den nye version therefore means “the new version,” with den and nye marking the noun phrase as definite. når introduces a time clause meaning “when.” It connects an event to the time at which another event or state holds. Example: Ring, når du er hjemme. — “Call when you are at home.” The second den is a pronoun meaning “it” in this sentence. It refers to the new version identified in the first clause. This is the common-gender singular form used for that inanimate referent; it is not the article in this position. er is the present-tense form of være, “to be.” Danish er is used with all persons in the present: jeg er, du er, den er — “I am,” “you are,” “it is.” klar is an adjective meaning “ready” here. With er, it describes the state of the version: “is ready.” Example: Filen er klar. — “The file is ready.” Together, Send den nye version gives the instruction to send a specific new version. når den er klar adds the condition in time: do so when that version is ready. The complete utterance is therefore the instruction to send the new version at the time it is ready. The wording is a direct, ordinary instruction.