Planning for a Very Hot Day | Learn Danish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Det bliver virkelig varmt i dag.

   It's going to be really hot today.

   Det

   it

   bliver

   is going to be

   virkelig

   really

   varmt

   hot

   i dag

   today

   More detail

   Det is the neutral singular pronoun used here in the weather expression “it.” In this sentence it does not identify a person or object; it fills the subject position for the weather description. bliver is the present-tense form of blive, “become” or “get.” With a following adjective, blive describes a change or developing state: Det bliver koldt means “It is getting cold.” In this sentence, the developing state is understood as a future condition, so the fixed translation uses “is going to be.” virkelig means “really” and intensifies the adjective that follows. It is an adverb and does not change form here. varmt is the neuter singular form of the adjective varm, “hot” or “warm.” The -t ending is used because the weather expression uses neutral det; the adjective agrees with that subject. Useful forms are varm (common singular), varmt (neuter singular), varme (plural or definite), varmere (comparative, “hotter/warmer”), and varmest (superlative, “hottest/warmest”). The following context uses varmest for “the hottest part,” showing the superlative form. i dag is the fixed time expression “today.” It places the developing weather condition in the current day. Together, Det bliver presents a weather condition as developing or expected, virkelig varmt says that the condition will be very hot, and i dag supplies the time. The complete meaning is: “It’s going to be really hot today.”

2. Lad os undgå at gå, når det er varmest.

   Let's avoid walking during the hottest part of the day.

   Lad os

   let’s

   undgå

   avoid

   gå

   walk

   når

   when

   varmest

   hottest

   More detail

   Lad os is the Danish pattern for making a suggestion to a group that includes the speaker: “let’s …”. Lad is the imperative of lade (“let; allow”), and os means “us”. In this construction, the combination functions as a first-person plural suggestion, not as a literal request to permit “us” in isolation. undgå means “avoid”. It is the infinitive form, and after Lad os Danish normally places the suggested action in the infinitive without at: Lad os undgå ... (“Let’s avoid ...”). A reusable example is Lad os undgå sukker. — “Let’s avoid sugar.” gå means “walk” here, as established by the fixed translation. It is the infinitive form. With undgå, it appears in the pattern undgå at + infinitive: undgå at gå — “avoid walking”. The at belongs to the infinitive construction after undgå; it is distinct from the infinitive-less action after Lad os. når introduces a time condition and means “when”. Here it introduces the time at which the suggested avoidance applies: når det er ... (“when it is ...”). varmest is the superlative form of the adjective varm (“warm/hot”): varm → varmere (“warmer”) → varmest (“warmest/hottest”). In this sentence, varmest describes the conditions as being at their hottest. The fixed translation gives the intended sense as “during the hottest part of the day.” Together, Lad os makes the suggestion, undgå at gå expresses the action to avoid, and når det er varmest identifies the time condition. The whole utterance means: “Let’s avoid walking during the hottest part of the day.”

3. Jeg tager solcreme på, før vi går.

   I'll put on sunscreen before we leave.

   Jeg

   I

   tager … på

   put on

   solcreme

   sunscreen

   før

   before

   går

   go / leave

   More detail

   Jeg means “I” here: it is the first-person singular subject, the person who will put on the sunscreen. Danish personal pronouns change for grammatical role, so compare jeg (“I”, subject) with mig (“me”, object), as in Hun ser mig — “She sees me.” tager is the present-tense form of tage, “to take.” Danish verbs do not change for person or number in the present tense: jeg tager, vi tager, and de tager all use tager. In this sentence, tager combines with the separate word på in the reusable construction tage ... på, “put ... on.” The object can come between the verb and på: Jeg tager jakken på — “I put on the jacket.” på contributes the “on” part of tage ... på. It is not being used here as an independent location meaning such as “on the table”; together with tage and an item of clothing or other wearable substance, it forms the putting-on construction. solcreme means “sunscreen.” It is a compound noun referring to cream used for protection from the sun. Danish commonly writes such compounds as one word. For example, Jeg bruger solcreme means “I use sunscreen.” før introduces a time relation meaning “before.” It connects the sunscreen action with the later event in før vi går — “before we leave.” In a clause introduced by før, the subject vi comes before the finite verb går, as in før hun kommer — “before she comes.” går is the present-tense form of gå, “to go.” In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies the intended sense as “leave”; the surrounding time clause makes it “before we leave.” The same form can mean “go” or “walk” in other contexts, for example Vi går hjem — “We walk/go home.” Danish present-tense verbs do not mark the subject person: jeg går, vi går, and de går use the same verb form. Together, Jeg tager solcreme på says “I put on sunscreen,” using tage ... på with solcreme as the thing being put on. før vi går adds the time relation “before we leave.” Danish uses the present tense here even though the English translation uses “I’ll put on”: the context presents this as an imminent or planned action. The complete meaning is “I’ll put on sunscreen before we leave.”

4. Bliv også i skyggen, når du kan.

   Stay in the shade whenever you can, too.

   Bliv

   stay; remain

   også

   also; too

   skyggen

   the shade

   når du kan

   whenever you can

   More detail

   Bliv is the imperative form of blive, used here to tell someone to stay or remain. The imperative does not mark a separate person or number here; the addressee is supplied by the situation. blive also has other uses, including “become,” so the surrounding phrase i skyggen selects the meaning “stay.” Example: Bliv her. — “Stay here.” også means “also” or “too.” Here it adds this instruction to the other advice in the exchange. Its exact position can vary for emphasis, but in this sentence it follows the imperative: Bliv også ... — “Stay ... too.” skyggen is the definite singular form of skygge, “shade” or “shadow.” The ending -en marks common-gender definite singular: en skygge — “a shade/shadow”; skyggen — “the shade/the shadow.” In i skyggen, the preposition i means “in,” so the phrase describes the place where the person should remain. Example: Vi sidder i skyggen. — “We are sitting in the shade.” når du kan means “when you can” and, in this instruction, naturally “whenever you can.” du is the singular informal “you,” while kan is the present form of kunne, “can/be able to.” The clause gives the condition under which the instruction is practical; it does not state that the person must always remain in the shade. Together, Bliv også gives the instruction “stay too,” i skyggen specifies the place, and når du kan limits it to times when doing so is possible. The whole utterance therefore means: “Stay in the shade whenever you can, too.”

5. Jeg kan hurtigt blive dehydreret i den her varme.

   I could get dehydrated quickly in this heat.

   Jeg kan

   I could

   hurtigt

   quickly

   blive

   become / get

   dehydreret

   dehydrated

   den her

   this

   varme

   heat

   More detail

   Jeg kan begins the sentence with jeg (“I”) and kan, the present-tense form of kunne. Here kan presents getting dehydrated as a possible outcome, matching “could.” The reusable pattern is jeg kan + infinitive: Jeg kan vente. — “I can wait.” hurtigt tells how quickly the situation can develop. It is the adverbial form related to hurtig (“quick”); here it modifies the predicate blive dehydreret, the event of getting dehydrated. blive is the infinitive of blive (“become,” “get”). It follows kan without an infinitive marker. With a following state or adjective, blive describes entering that state: Hun bliver træt. — “She gets tired.” dehydreret means “dehydrated” here. It is a participial/adjectival form related to the verb dehydrere (“dehydrate”) and describes the state reached after blive: Jeg bliver dehydreret. — “I get dehydrated.” den her is a demonstrative determiner meaning “this” in the phrase “this heat.” den is the form used with a common-gender singular noun, while her reinforces that the referent is near or contextually present. The demonstrative phrase does not itself express a numerical count. varme is the noun “heat” here, not an adjective modifying another noun. Together with den her, it identifies the relevant heat as “this heat.” The remaining function word i means “in.” In source order, Jeg kan + hurtigt + blive dehydreret gives “I could get dehydrated quickly,” and i den her varme adds the setting “in this heat.” The complete meaning is therefore: “I could get dehydrated quickly in this heat.”

6. Hav vand med, og drik ofte.

   Carry water and drink often.

   Hav … med

   carry along

   vand

   water

   drik

   drink

   ofte

   often

   More detail

   Hav … med is a reusable Danish imperative construction meaning “carry/bring … along.” Hav is the imperative of have (“to have”); the imperative addresses the listener directly. Med adds the idea that the item should accompany the person. Because the construction is discontinuous here, the object can stand between its parts: Hav en paraply med = “Bring an umbrella along.” vand means “water.” It is a noun for a substance and is used without an article here. The sentence therefore gives water as what should be carried, without stating a numeric quantity. Example: Jeg drikker vand = “I drink water.” drik is the imperative of drikke (“to drink”). It is a direct instruction to the listener. Example: Drik langsomt = “Drink slowly.” ofte means “often” and describes repeated frequency. It follows the imperative drik here, telling the listener to drink frequently rather than just once. Together, Hav vand med means “Carry water along,” and drik ofte means “drink often.” The complete utterance is: “Carry water and drink often.”

7. Lad os besøge parken senere, når det er køligere.

   Let's visit the park later when it's cooler.

   Lad os

   let's

   besøge

   visit

   parken

   the park

   senere

   later

   når

   when

   køligere

   cooler

   More detail

   Lad os is the Danish way to make a first-person-plural suggestion: “let’s …”. Lad is the imperative of lade “to let,” and os is the object form of “we/us.” Together, this construction is followed by an infinitive: Lad os besøge = “let’s visit.” besøge means “to visit.” It is the infinitive form, used after Lad os; the same form can also follow other Danish constructions that require an infinitive. Example: Vi vil besøge parken. — “We want to visit the park.” parken means “the park.” The noun is park; parken is its singular definite form, formed with the ending -en. The indefinite form is en park — “a park.” senere means “later.” It is the comparative form related to sen “late”: sen — “late,” senere — “later,” senest — “latest/at the latest.” Here it places the visit at a later time, without specifying exactly when. når introduces a time clause meaning “when.” The clause når det er ... gives the condition or time at which something happens. In det er køligere, det is the formal subject used for the temperature or weather situation; it does not identify a particular person or object. er is the present form of være, “to be.” køligere means “cooler.” It is the comparative form of the adjective kølig “cool”: kølig — “cool,” køligere — “cooler,” køligst — “coolest.” The comparison is with some other temperature or time, made clear by the context rather than stated explicitly in this sentence. Putting the parts together, Lad os besøge parken means “Let’s visit the park,” and senere adds “later.” The time clause når det er køligere means “when it’s cooler.” The complete utterance therefore means: “Let’s visit the park later when it’s cooler.”

8. Det bliver sikrere og mere behageligt.

   That will be safer and more comfortable.

   Det bliver

   that will be / become

   sikrere

   safer

   mere behageligt

   more comfortable

   More detail

   Det bliver combines det with bliver, the present-tense form of blive. Here det means “that” and refers to the situation or thing being discussed; the fixed translation supports that reading without identifying a more specific noun. Blive can mean “become” or, with a future-time context, “will be”; here it presents a future state. Example: Det bliver bedre. — “That will be better.” sikrere means “safer” here. It is the comparative form of sikker (“safe”): sikker → sikrere (“safer”). Danish comparative forms such as sikrere generally do not change for gender or number. Example: Denne vej er sikrere. — “This road is safer.” mere behageligt means “more comfortable.” Mere is the comparative word “more,” while behageligt is the neuter singular form of behagelig (“comfortable”); the -t form agrees with neuter det. The comparison is formed with mere rather than an -ere ending. Example: Det er mere behageligt her. — “It is more comfortable here.” Together, Det bliver sets up a future state, and sikrere og mere behageligt gives the two qualities of that state, joined by og (“and”). The complete meaning is: “That will be safer and more comfortable.”