A Quiet Place to Work | Learn Danish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Er der et roligt område, hvor jeg kan arbejde?

   Is there a quiet area where I can work?

   Er der

   is there

   roligt

   quiet

   område

   area

   hvor

   where

   jeg

   I

   kan

   can

   arbejde

   work

   More detail

   Er der is the common Danish construction for asking whether something exists or is available: literally, it uses er (“is/are”) with existential der (“there”). The form er is present tense of være (“to be”). It is not the same as asking about a specific object with a demonstrative such as den or det. roligt means “quiet” here. It is the neuter singular form of the adjective rolig, because it describes område, which is introduced by the neuter article et. Compare en rolig plads (“a quiet place”) with et roligt område (“a quiet area”): the adjective changes because of the noun’s grammatical gender, not because of the meaning “quiet.” område means “area.” Its plural is områder. In this sentence it is singular, as shown by et område; the indefinite article marks one non-specific area, but the sentence does not otherwise give a numerical emphasis. hvor means “where” and introduces the clause describing the area. It links the area to a location in which the possible activity can take place. A reusable pattern is et sted, hvor ... (“a place where ...”). jeg is the first-person singular pronoun “I,” referring to the speaker. Danish uses jeg as the subject form; the corresponding object form is mig (“me”). kan is the present-tense form of the modal verb kunne, “can/be able to.” It expresses ability or possibility here. After a modal such as kan, Danish normally uses the infinitive without an infinitive marker: jeg kan arbejde (“I can work”). arbejde is the infinitive of the verb “to work.” The same spelling can also be a noun meaning “work,” but here its position after the modal kan identifies it as the verb: kan arbejde (“can work”). Together, Er der et roligt område asks whether a quiet area is available. The relative clause hvor jeg kan arbejde specifies that this is an area in which the speaker can work. The complete utterance therefore means: “Is there a quiet area where I can work?”

2. Der er borde til stille arbejde ovenpå til venstre.

   There are desks for quiet study upstairs on the left.

   Der er

   there are

   borde

   desks

   stille

   quiet

   arbejde

   work

   ovenpå

   upstairs

   til venstre

   on the left

   More detail

   Der er is the Danish existential pattern for saying that something exists or is located somewhere. It corresponds to “there is/are”; the following noun determines whether the English translation uses singular or plural. Example: Der er en stol. — “There is a chair.” borde means “desks” here. Its base form is bord, and borde is its plural form. Danish bord can also mean “table”; the fixed translation and context specify desks in this utterance. Example: Der er to borde. — “There are two desks/tables.” stille means “quiet” here. It describes the kind of arbejde intended. The form stille is used with this noun phrase; Danish adjective forms depend on the grammatical conditions of the noun phrase, and this form also occurs with plural nouns. Example: et stille rum — “a quiet room.” arbejde is the noun “work,” understood as study or desk work in this context. The same spelling can also be the infinitive “to work,” but here til introduces a noun phrase: til stille arbejde, “for quiet work/study.” Example: Jeg har meget arbejde. — “I have a lot of work.” ovenpå means “upstairs” or “up above.” It is a compact location word, so it does not need a separate preposition before it in this sentence. Example: Kontoret er ovenpå. — “The office is upstairs.” til venstre is the fixed directional phrase “on the left.” til contributes the direction “to/on,” while venstre means “left.” Example: Døren er til venstre. — “The door is on the left.” Together, Der er borde states that desks exist or are located there; til stille arbejde specifies their purpose; and ovenpå til venstre gives their location. The whole utterance means: “There are desks for quiet study upstairs on the left.”

3. Må jeg tale kort i telefon der?

   Could I take a short call there?

   Må jeg

   May I

   tale

   talk; speak

   kort

   briefly

   telefon

   phone

   der

   there

   More detail

   Må jeg combines the modal verb må with the subject pronoun jeg (“I”). At the beginning of a question, this pattern asks for permission: Må jeg ...? = “May I ...?” The following verb stays in the infinitive without at, as in Må jeg komme? (“May I come?”). Må is the present form of the modal verb måtte. tale means “speak” or “talk” here. It is the infinitive required after må: må jeg tale. In the reusable expression tale i telefon, it means “talk on the phone.” Its present-tense form is taler, as in Jeg taler i telefon (“I am talking on the phone”). kort describes the manner or duration of tale here, so it means “briefly.” The same form can also be the adjective “short,” for example en kort samtale (“a short conversation”); in this sentence it functions adverbially, modifying the speaking. telefon is the noun “phone.” Together with i, the phrase i telefon is the Danish expression “on the phone”: tale i telefon = “talk on the phone.” A related noun form is telefonen, “the phone,” but the fixed expression here uses the indefinite-looking form telefon. der is the locative adverb “there.” It points to the place under discussion and does not change form. The contrasting location word is her, “here.” Putting the parts together, Må jeg asks for permission, tale kort i telefon describes having a brief phone conversation, and der places that activity there. The whole utterance means: “Could I take a short call there?” It asks permission to have a brief phone conversation at that location; the wording does not specify whether the call is incoming or outgoing.

4. De borde er kun til at studere i stilhed.

   Those desks are only for silent study.

   De

   those

   borde

   desks

   er

   are

   kun

   only

   til at

   for ...ing

   studere

   study

   i stilhed

   in silence

   More detail

   De means “those” here and points to plural desks. In Danish, de can also mean “they”; the sentence meaning and its position before borde show the demonstrative use here. Unlike singular demonstratives, this plural form does not mark common versus neuter gender. borde is the plural of et bord (“a table/desk”). Danish uses the same noun for a table or a desk when the context determines the kind of furniture. The plural form is useful in patterns such as et bord → borde. er is the present-tense form of være (“to be”). It connects the subject with its purpose: De borde er ... means “Those desks are ...”. kun means “only” and limits the purpose that follows. It does not itself say that there is one desk or one activity; it says that the stated purpose is restricted to studying. til at introduces a purpose or intended activity before an infinitive. The reusable pattern is være til at + infinitive, meaning “be for ...ing” or “be used for ...ing”. studere is the infinitive “to study”. After til at, Danish keeps the infinitive form, so til at studere means “for studying” in this sentence. Example: Biblioteket er til at læse i. — “The library is for reading in.” i stilhed means “in silence”. stilhed is the noun “silence”; the preposition i presents it as the condition or setting in which the studying takes place. Example: Hun arbejder i stilhed. — “She works in silence.” Together, De borde identifies the desks, er kun til at studere states their restricted intended use, and i stilhed specifies the manner or setting of studying. The whole utterance therefore means: “Those desks are only for silent study.”

5. Så tager jeg mine telefonopkald et andet sted.

   I'll take phone calls somewhere else, then.

   Så

   then

   tager

   take

   telefonopkald

   phone calls

   et andet sted

   somewhere else

   More detail

   Så means “then” here and links this statement to what has just been said. It can also mean “so” in other contexts, but “then” is the intended meaning in this utterance. tager is the present form of tage, “to take.” Danish present-tense verbs do not change for the subject: jeg tager is “I take,” while de tager is “they take.” In this sentence, the present form describes the speaker’s intended action in the immediate situation. telefonopkald means “phone calls” here. It is a compound noun built from telefon and opkald. The form is also used for an indefinite singular “phone call,” so the plural meaning here comes from the fixed translation and context rather than from a visible plural ending. et andet sted is the reusable phrase “somewhere else” or, more literally, “another place.” sted is a neuter noun, so the form is et andet sted; andet is the form of anden that agrees with this noun. The phrase et andet sted is used for relocating an activity to a different place, without specifying which place. Together, Så tager jeg gives “Then I’ll take,” mine telefonopkald gives “my phone calls,” and et andet sted gives “somewhere else.” The complete meaning is: “I’ll take phone calls somewhere else, then.”

6. Forhallen er bedre til telefonopkald.

   The lobby is better for calls.

   Forhallen

   the lobby

   er

   is

   bedre

   better

   til

   for

   telefonopkald

   calls

   More detail

   Forhallen means “the lobby” here. It is the definite singular form of the common-gender noun forhal (“lobby” or “hall”): forhal → forhallen. The ending -en marks definite singular; it does not by itself identify a particular kind of lobby beyond the context. er is the present-tense form of at være, “to be.” The present form is er for several subjects, including this singular noun. Example: Kontoret er stille. — “The office is quiet.” bedre means “better” here. It is the comparative form of god (“good”): god → bedre → bedst (“good” → “better” → “best”). The comparative presents the lobby as more suitable than an alternative for the stated purpose; it does not say that the lobby is good in every respect. Example: Dette sted er bedre. — “This place is better.” til introduces what something is suitable or useful for in this pattern. In bedre til telefonopkald, it connects “better” with the activity “phone calls.” The same preposition has other uses, so its exact meaning comes from the construction here. telefonopkald means “calls” in the fixed translation, specifically phone calls. It is a compound noun built from telefon (“telephone”) and opkald (“call”). In this sentence it is the indefinite plural form; the singular indefinite form is also telefonopkald, while the definite plural is telefonopkaldene. Example: Vi har mange telefonopkald. — “We have many phone calls.” Together, Forhallen er bedre til telefonopkald says “The lobby is better for calls.” The pattern X er bedre til Y can be reused to say that one place, person, or thing is more suitable for an activity than another option. Here, Forhallen is the subject, er links it to the comparison, and til telefonopkald states the activity for which it is better.

7. Et bord ovenpå passer fint til mig.

   An upstairs desk will work for me.

   bord

   desk

   ovenpå

   upstairs

   passer

   works

   fint

   well

   til mig

   for me

   More detail

   bord is the noun used here for the desk in the fixed translation. Its base form is bord, and it is a neuter noun, so the indefinite article is et: et bord. Here the article introduces a non-specific desk; it does not by itself assert a numerical count. Danish nouns use different articles according to grammatical gender, so the article must be learned with the noun. ovenpå is a spatial adverb meaning “upstairs” here. It locates the desk and does not change form to agree with it. In other contexts, the same form can refer to being on top of something, but “upstairs” is the intended meaning in this sentence. passer means “works” or “suits” here: the desk is suitable for the speaker. It is the present-tense form of passe. Danish verbs do not change form for person or number in the present tense. Example: Det passer mig. — “That suits me.” fint means “well” in this use and modifies passer, giving the meaning “works well.” It is functioning adverbially here, not describing the desk. The related adjective fin can mean “fine” or “nice”; fint is the form used in this adverbial expression. til mig means “for me” and identifies the person for whom the option works. mig is the object form corresponding to the first-person subject form jeg (“I”); after the preposition til, the object form is used. Together, et bord identifies a non-specific desk, ovenpå places it upstairs, and passer fint til mig says that it works well for the speaker. The complete meaning is: “An upstairs desk will work for me.” The surrounding context mentions that the lobby is better for calls and that it is usually calm in the afternoon, but it does not establish that the upstairs desk is the lobby or that those properties specifically describe the desk.

8. Der er som regel roligt om eftermiddagen.

   It is usually calm in the afternoon.

   Der er

   there is/are

   som regel

   usually

   roligt

   calm

   eftermiddagen

   the afternoon

   More detail

   Der er is a Danish construction built from der and the present-tense form er of være (“to be”). It commonly introduces something that exists or is present: Der er en bog på bordet means “There is a book on the table.” In this sentence, the construction presents a general state, so the natural meaning is “it is calm,” rather than a literal English “there is calm.” som regel is a fixed adverbial expression meaning “usually” or “as a rule.” It describes what normally happens, without saying that it happens every time. Example: Hun kommer som regel tidligt. — “She usually arrives early.” roligt means “calm” here. Its base form is rolig; roligt is the neuter singular form used with the impersonal state expressed here. Useful comparison forms are rolig (“calm”), roligere (“calmer”), and roligst (“calmest”). The form roligt is not the noun’s form; it is the adjective carrying this grammatical form. Example: Vandet er roligt. — “The water is calm.” eftermiddagen means “the afternoon” in the definite form. The base noun is eftermiddag (“afternoon”); the ending -en marks the definite singular form: eftermiddag → eftermiddagen. In om eftermiddagen, om gives the time meaning “in” or “during,” so the phrase means “in the afternoon.” Together, Der er presents a general state, roligt identifies that state as calm, som regel limits it to what is usual, and om eftermiddagen gives the time. The complete meaning is: “It is usually calm in the afternoon.”