Deciding Which Task to Do First | Learn Danish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Jeg har for mange opgaver i formiddag.

   I have too many tasks this morning.

   har

   have

   for mange

   too many

   opgaver

   tasks

   i formiddag

   this morning

   More detail

   har is the present-tense form of have, “to have.” In Danish, the present-tense verb does not change for person or number: jeg har = “I have,” and de har = “they have.” Example: Jeg har tid. — “I have time.” for mange expresses an excessive number: for adds the meaning “too,” while mange means “many” with a plural countable noun. Compare mange opgaver (“many tasks”) with for mange opgaver (“too many tasks”). With an uncountable or mass meaning, Danish commonly uses meget instead: for meget arbejde — “too much work.” opgaver is the plural indefinite form of opgave, “task” or “assignment.” The singular is en opgave; the plural is opgaver; the definite plural is opgaverne, “the tasks.” Example: Jeg har tre opgaver. — “I have three tasks.” i formiddag is a time expression meaning “this morning” in this sentence. i introduces the time period, and formiddag refers to the morning or forenoon part of the day. Example: Vi mødes i formiddag. — “We are meeting this morning.” Together, Jeg har for mange opgaver i formiddag means “I have too many tasks this morning.” The sentence presents the speaker as having an excessive number of tasks during the specified morning period.

2. Lav først en liste over dem efter prioritet.

   List them by priority first.

   Lav

   make

   først

   first

   liste

   list

   over dem

   of them

   efter prioritet

   by priority

   More detail

   Lav is the imperative of lave, “to make/do.” Here it gives a direct instruction: “make.” Danish imperatives commonly appear without a subject, so Lav ... addresses the listener directly. In this sentence, the thing being made is a list. først means “first” and places this action at the relevant point in the sequence. It can also mean “for the first time” in other contexts; the ordering meaning is used here. liste is the noun “list.” The full phrase en liste means “a list”; en marks this noun as common gender and indefinite. The noun itself is not the command: Lav en liste means “Make a list.” over dem means “of them” here. over introduces what the list contains, and dem is the object form of the third-person plural pronoun meaning “them.” In the supplied context, “them” refers to the tasks mentioned previously. Example: Jeg ser dem. — “I see them.” efter prioritet means “by priority” or “according to priority.” prioritet is the noun “priority.” efter here describes the basis for arranging the items, rather than a time meaning such as “after.” Example: Sortér efter dato. — “Sort by date.” Together, Lav først en liste gives “First make a list”; over dem specifies that the list is of the tasks; and efter prioritet specifies the ordering principle. The complete meaning is: “List them by priority first.”

3. Denne e-mail haster.

   This email is urgent.

   Denne

   this

   e-mail

   email

   haster

   is urgent

   More detail

   Denne means “this” here and is the singular common-gender form of the Danish demonstrative. It agrees with the noun it modifies: denne + a common-gender singular noun, while dette is used with a neuter-gender singular noun. Example: Denne sag er vigtig. — “This matter is important.” e-mail is the noun “email.” In denne e-mail, it is a common-gender singular noun, which is why it follows denne. The hyphenated spelling is part of the observed Danish word; do not treat it as two separate words. haster is the present-tense form of haste, “to be urgent” or “to be pressing.” In this sentence it describes the email as requiring prompt attention, matching the fixed translation “is urgent.” Danish present-tense verbs generally do not change form according to the subject’s person or number. Example: Denne sag haster. — “This matter is urgent.” Together, Denne e-mail identifies the email as “this email,” and haster says that it is urgent. The complete utterance therefore means “This email is urgent.” Urgent and important are related but distinct: something can be important without requiring immediate action.

4. Rapporten er vigtig.

   The report is important.

   Rapporten

   the report

   er

   is

   vigtig

   important

   More detail

   Rapporten means “the report” here. Its base form is rapport (“report”), and -en marks the definite singular form of this common-gender noun: en rapport → rapporten. The definite form identifies a particular report, consistent with the fixed translation and the surrounding context. Example: Jeg læser en rapport. — “I am reading a report.” er is the present-tense form of at være (“to be”). It is used with subjects of different persons and numbers, so the same form appears in jeg er (“I am”), du er (“you are”), and de er (“they are”). vigtig means “important” in this sentence. It is the common-gender singular form of the adjective; the neuter singular form is vigtigt, and the plural or definite form is vigtige. Example: Et brev er vigtigt. — “A letter is important.” Together, Rapporten er vigtig follows the pattern [definite subject] + [present form of “to be”] + [adjective]: “The report is important.”

5. Hvornår er fristen for rapporten?

   When is the report deadline?

   Hvornår

   when

   er

   is

   fristen

   the deadline

   rapporten

   the report

   More detail

   Hvornår means “when” and asks about a time. It is the question word used here to ask when the deadline is, rather than asking who, what, or where. er is the present-tense form of være, “to be.” Danish uses er for present “is” and “are”; the form does not change for the subject’s person or number. Example: Rapporten er vigtig. means “The report is important.” fristen means “the deadline.” Its base form is frist, “deadline,” and the ending -en marks the definite form: frist = “a deadline” or “deadline” in an indefinite reference, while fristen = “the deadline.” rapporten means “the report.” Its base form is rapport, and -en marks the definite form. Thus rapport is indefinite, while rapporten refers to the report identified in the context. The earlier sentence confirms that the relevant item is a report, and the following context specifies that it is due tomorrow afternoon. The remaining chunk for rapporten means “for the report”: for introduces what the deadline applies to, and rapporten is the definite noun “the report.” In the question, Hvornår comes first, followed by the present-tense verb er, then the subject-like noun phrase fristen, and finally the phrase specifying what the deadline concerns. Together, Hvornår er fristen for rapporten? means “When is the report deadline?” or, more naturally, “When is the deadline for the report?”

6. Den skal være færdig i morgen eftermiddag.

   It is due tomorrow afternoon.

   Den

   it

   skal

   must; is to

   være

   be

   færdig

   finished

   i morgen

   tomorrow

   eftermiddag

   afternoon

   More detail

   Den means “it” here. Danish uses den for a singular common-gender referent; det is used for a singular neuter-gender referent. In the supplied context, the preceding question explicitly concerns the report deadline, and the translation supports understanding Den as the report. The pronoun itself does not indicate whether its referent is a person or a thing. skal is the present-tense form of skulle. It can express requirement or a scheduled expectation. With være færdig here, it presents completion as required by the stated time, giving the meaning “must be finished” or “is due.” Example: Rapporten skal være færdig fredag. — “The report must be finished on Friday.” være is the infinitive form meaning “to be.” After the modal skal, skal være forms the pattern “must be” or “is to be.” Example: Jeg skal være hjemme klokken otte. — “I have to be home at eight.” færdig is an adjective meaning “finished” or “complete.” It describes the state that the referent is required to reach. Its form agrees with the relevant noun when it is used attributively: færdig with a common-gender singular noun, færdigt with a neuter singular noun, and færdige in plural or definite attributive forms. In this sentence it is used predicatively after være. Example: Rapporten er færdig. — “The report is finished.” i morgen means “tomorrow.” It is a time expression. Example: Vi rejser i morgen. — “We are travelling tomorrow.” eftermiddag is the noun “afternoon.” In i morgen eftermiddag, it specifies the part of tomorrow when the deadline falls. Example: Mødet er i morgen eftermiddag. — “The meeting is tomorrow afternoon.” Together, Den skal være færdig says that it must reach a finished state, while i morgen eftermiddag sets the deadline. The whole utterance means: “It is due tomorrow afternoon.”

7. Så svar på den hastende e-mail først.

   Then answer the urgent email first.

   Så

   then

   svar på

   answer / respond to

   hastende

   urgent

   e-mail

   email

   først

   first

   More detail

   Så means “then” here and introduces the next step in the sequence. Example: Så går vi. — “Then we go.” svar på is the Danish construction meaning “answer” or “respond to” something. svar is the imperative form of svare (“to answer”). Danish imperative forms do not mark a singular-versus-plural distinction here. The preposition på belongs to this construction: svar på + [something]. Example: Svar på spørgsmålet. — “Answer the question.” hastende means “urgent” here. It is an adjective formed from the present participle pattern in -ende, and this form does not acquire a separate definite -e ending in den hastende e-mail. The same form can appear in an indefinite phrase: en hastende e-mail — “an urgent email.” e-mail is the noun meaning “email.” Together with den, it forms the definite noun phrase “the email”; den marks the phrase as definite, while e-mail names the message being answered. først means “first” and places this action first in the relevant sequence. Example: Først læser jeg beskeden. — “First I read the message.” Together, Så svar på den hastende e-mail først. is an imperative instruction: “Then answer the urgent email first.” The sentence moves to the next step (Så), tells the addressee to answer the specified email (svar på den hastende e-mail), and places that action first (først).

8. Bagefter vil jeg arbejde på rapporten.

   After that I will work on the report.

   Bagefter

   afterwards

   vil jeg

   I will

   arbejde

   work

   på

   on

   rapporten

   the report

   More detail

   Bagefter means “afterwards” or “after that” here. It refers to a later step in the sequence, without itself specifying how much time passes. Example: Vi spiser bagefter. — “We will eat afterwards.” vil jeg combines vil, the present-tense form of ville, with the subject pronoun jeg (“I”). In this sentence, vil expresses future intention or expectation: “will.” Danish main clauses normally keep the finite verb in the second position. Because Bagefter comes first, vil comes before jeg: Bagefter vil jeg ...; with the subject first, the order is Jeg vil .... Example: Jeg vil ringe senere. — “I will call later.” arbejde is the infinitive “to work.” After the modal verb vil, Danish uses the infinitive without an infinitive marker equivalent to English “to”: vil arbejde means “will work.” The same verb can also be used in other forms, such as present arbejder (“work/am working”) and past arbejdede (“worked”). Example: De vil arbejde i morgen. — “They will work tomorrow.” på is the preposition “on” in the expression arbejde på noget, meaning “work on something.” The preposition is part of the reusable pattern, while the following noun identifies what the work concerns. Example: Hun arbejder på et projekt. — “She is working on a project.” rapporten means “the report.” It consists of the noun rapport (“report”) with the definite singular ending -en: rapporten is the definite form, not a separate word meaning “the.” Example: Jeg læser rapporten. — “I am reading the report.” The indefinite form is en rapport — “a report”; the definite form is used when the intended report is identifiable in the context. Together, Bagefter sets the later time, vil jeg expresses the speaker’s future intention, arbejde på gives the activity and its object pattern, and rapporten identifies the report. The complete meaning is: “After that I will work on the report.”

9. Det burde hjælpe dig med at føle dig mindre stresset.

   That should help you feel less stressed.

   Det … burde

   That should

   hjælpe

   help

   dig

   you

   med at

   to

   føle

   feel

   dig

   yourself

   mindre

   less

   stresset

   stressed

   More detail

   Det burde begins with det, a neutral singular subject pronoun. In this sentence, the fixed translation presents it as “that,” referring to the situation or action understood from context. Burde is the modal form related to bør; here it expresses an expected or likely helpful result, rather than simply placing the event in the past. Example: Det burde være nok. — “That should be enough.” Hjælpe is the infinitive meaning “help.” After a modal such as burde, Danish uses the infinitive without at: burde hjælpe = “should help.” Example: Det kan hjælpe. — “That can help.” Dig is the second-person object pronoun, meaning “you.” Danish uses this form for both singular and plural “you”; the sentence itself does not specify the addressee’s number. Here it is the person receiving the help. Med at introduces an activity that the help makes possible or supports. The pattern hjælpe nogen med at + infinitive means “help someone to do something” or simply “help someone do something.” Example: Hun hjælper mig med at lære dansk. — “She helps me learn Danish.” Føle is the infinitive “feel.” The second dig is a reflexive object referring back to the addressee: føle dig literally has the structure “feel yourself,” but in this pattern it naturally means “feel.” For a third-person subject, the corresponding reflexive form is sig, as in Han føler sig træt. — “He feels tired.” Mindre expresses a lower degree or amount: “less.” In mindre stresset, it modifies the adjective stresset, so the comparison concerns how stressed the person feels. For countable plural things, Danish commonly uses færre rather than mindre: færre fejl — “fewer mistakes.” Stresset means “stressed” here and describes the state being felt. It is an adjective formed from the verb stresse; the sentence uses the adjective after the reflexive construction føle dig. Example: Jeg føler mig stresset. — “I feel stressed.” Together, burde hjælpe dig means “should help you,” and med at føle dig mindre stresset specifies the result that the help is intended or expected to support: “feel less stressed.” The complete utterance therefore means: “That should help you feel less stressed.”