Understanding a tablet warranty | Learn Danish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Før jeg køber denne tablet, vil jeg gerne forstå, hvad garantien dækker.

   Before I buy this tablet, I want to understand the warranty.

   Før

   before

   jeg

   I

   køber

   buy

   denne

   this

   tablet

   tablet

   vil jeg gerne

   I would like to

   forstå

   understand

   hvad

   what

   garantien

   the warranty

   dækker

   covers

   More detail

   Før means “before” and introduces the time clause Før jeg køber denne tablet (“Before I buy this tablet”). It is a conjunction here. The clause places the buying event before the understanding expressed in the main clause. jeg is the first-person singular pronoun, “I.” Danish uses jeg for the speaker as the subject. Example: Jeg forstår det means “I understand it.” køber means “buy” here. Its base form is købe; køber is the present-tense form. In jeg køber, this form is used with the first-person singular subject. In a time clause, the present form can refer to a future event: “before I buy.” denne means “this” and points to a singular noun. Here it modifies tablet, so denne tablet means “this tablet.” denne is the common-gender singular form of this demonstrative; the noun’s grammatical gender is relevant, not singularity alone. tablet is the noun “tablet,” referring here to the device being bought. Its plural is tabletter, “tablets.” vil jeg gerne is a reusable way to express “I would like to.” It combines vil (“want”), the subject jeg (“I”), and gerne (“gladly” or “willingly”). In this combination, it expresses a wish rather than simply stating a future event. Example: Jeg vil gerne lære dansk means “I would like to learn Danish.” forstå means “understand.” It is the infinitive used after vil in vil jeg gerne forstå. The pattern vil gerne + infinitive is useful for expressing a wish. Example: Jeg vil gerne se det means “I would like to see it.” hvad means “what.” Here it introduces the embedded question hvad garantien dækker, “what the warranty covers.” The form hvad represents the thing being asked about; it is the object of dækker in this embedded question. garantien means “the warranty.” The base noun is garanti; garantien is its definite singular form, made with the ending -en. The following context uses the same form and says that the warranty covers technical problems during normal use. dækker means “covers” here. Its base form is dække; dækker is the present-tense form. The warranty is the subject, while hvad represents the object being covered. The verb form is not marked for third-person singular in a separate agreement ending. Together, Før jeg køber denne tablet means “Before I buy this tablet.” The main clause vil jeg gerne forstå expresses the speaker’s wish to understand something, and hvad garantien dækker supplies that content: “what the warranty covers.” The complete utterance means: “Before I buy this tablet, I want to understand what the warranty covers.”

2. Garantien dækker tekniske problemer ved normal brug.

   The warranty covers technical problems from normal use.

   Garantien

   the warranty

   dækker

   covers

   tekniske

   technical

   problemer

   problems

   normal

   normal

   brug

   use

   More detail

   Garantien is the definite singular form of garanti (“warranty”): en garanti = “a warranty,” garantien = “the warranty.” The definite form is appropriate because the sentence refers to an identified warranty. dækker is the present-tense form of dække (“to cover”). In this sentence, it says what the warranty includes. The same verb can also describe physically covering something. Example: Forsikringen dækker tyveri. — “The insurance covers theft.” tekniske means “technical” here. It is the form of teknisk used with the plural noun problemer; Danish adjectives commonly take -e with plural nouns. Example: tekniske fejl — “technical faults.” problemer is the plural of problem (“problem”). The singular is et problem, and the plural is problemer: et problem / flere problemer — “a problem” / “several problems.” normal means “normal” here and describes brug. In this phrase it has the common-gender singular form; compare normal brug (“normal use”) with normale forhold (“normal conditions”), where the adjective agrees with a plural noun. brug is the noun “use” in this sentence. The preposition ved introduces the circumstances: ved normal brug means “during/in normal use,” corresponding here to “from normal use.” Brug can also mean “usage” in other contexts, but the sentence concerns ordinary use of the product. Together, Garantien dækker means “the warranty covers,” tekniske problemer means “technical problems,” and ved normal brug specifies the circumstances: “during normal use.” The complete utterance therefore means: “The warranty covers technical problems from normal use.”

3. Dækker garantien også skader ved uheld, som for eksempel en revnet skærm?

   Does the coverage include accidental damage, like a cracked screen?

   Dækker

   covers

   garantien

   the warranty

   også

   also

   skader

   damage

   ved uheld

   by accident

   som for eksempel

   such as, for example

   revnet

   cracked

   skærm

   screen

   More detail

   Dækker is the present-tense form of dække, “to cover.” In a yes/no question, Danish commonly places the finite verb first: Dækker ...? means “Does ... cover ...?” The form is present tense; it does not itself mark the question as past or future. garantien is the definite singular form of garanti, “warranty”: en garanti = “a warranty,” garantien = “the warranty.” Here it is the subject of dækker. Together, Dækker garantien asks whether the warranty provides coverage. The fixed translation uses “coverage,” but the Danish noun specifically refers to the warranty. også means “also” or “too.” It adds this kind of damage to the coverage question; the question is not only about the technical problems mentioned in the preceding sentence. skader is the indefinite plural of skade, “damage” or “injury.” In this utterance, the fixed translation selects the non-count sense “damage,” specifically accidental damage. The singular is en skade, and the definite plural is skaderne. ved uheld is a reusable phrase meaning “by accident” or “through an accident.” ved can express the circumstances under which something happens, and uheld means “accident” or “mishap.” Here it specifies the type of skader: damage resulting from an accident. som for eksempel introduces an example: “such as, for example.” The following noun phrase illustrates the kind of accidental damage being asked about; it does not replace the broader category skader ved uheld. revnet means “cracked” in this context. It is related to the verb revne, “to crack” or “split,” and describes the resulting state of the screen. Danish also uses the adjective ødelagt for “broken/damaged,” but that is broader and does not specifically say that a crack is present. skærm means “screen.” The phrase en revnet skærm is “a cracked screen”: en skærm is the indefinite singular, while skærmen is “the screen” and skærme is the indefinite plural “screens.” The indefinite article introduces one unspecified example, but the sentence’s main claim concerns accidental damage generally. As a whole, the verb-first question pattern Dækker + subject + også + object? asks whether the warranty covers an additional category. skader ved uheld names that category, and som for eksempel en revnet skærm gives a concrete example of it. Thus the complete meaning is: “Does the warranty also cover accidental damage, such as a cracked screen?”

4. Skader ved uheld dækkes af en separat beskyttelsesordning.

   Accidental damage is handled by a separate protection plan.

   Skader

   damage; damages

   ved uheld

   by accident

   dækkes af

   is covered by

   separat

   separate

   beskyttelsesordning

   protection plan

   More detail

   Skader means “damage” here, specifically the accidental damage mentioned in the translation and the preceding question. It is the plural form of skade (“damage” or, in other contexts, “injury”); Danish uses the plural form here for damage cases or instances rather than one specific item. Example: Der er skader på bilen. — “There is damage to the car.” ved uheld is a reusable phrase meaning that something happens accidentally or is caused by an accident. Uheld means “accident” or “mishap”; the preposition ved gives the phrase its accident-related sense. Example: Han kom til skade ved et uheld. — “He was injured in an accident.” dækkes af means “is covered by” in this sentence. Dækkes is the present passive form of dække (“to cover”): the sentence presents the damage as receiving coverage, rather than naming who provides it. The passive form does not change for the plural subject here. Example: Reparationen dækkes af forsikringen. — “The repair is covered by the insurance.” separat means “separate” and describes beskyttelsesordning. The adjective is in its common-gender singular form; the noun phrase has en because ordning is a common-gender noun. Separat also has neuter singular separat, so the form is not distinguished in writing in these two singular uses. Separat is not a quantity word: en marks the noun’s grammatical gender and definiteness pattern here, not necessarily a numerical count. beskyttelsesordning means “protection plan” or “protection scheme.” It is a compound noun built around ordning (“plan” or “scheme”), with beskyttelses- specifying its protective purpose. Danish compounds are normally written as one word. Example: Ordningen giver ekstra beskyttelse. — “The plan provides extra protection.” Together, Skader ved uheld identifies accidental damage, and dækkes af en separat beskyttelsesordning says that this damage is covered by a separate protection plan. The whole utterance therefore means: “Accidental damage is handled by a separate protection plan.”

5. Hvis batteriet går i stykker, skal jeg så tage tabletten med herhen eller kontakte producenten?

   If the battery fails, would I bring the tablet here or contact the manufacturer?

   Hvis

   if

   batteriet

   the battery

   går i stykker

   fails

   skal jeg så

   should I then

   tage

   take or bring

   tabletten

   the tablet

   med herhen

   along to here

   eller

   or

   kontakte

   contact

   producenten

   the manufacturer

   More detail

   Hvis introduces a condition: “if …”. It is reusable at the beginning of a conditional clause, for example Hvis du kommer i morgen, ... — “If you come tomorrow, ...”. In this sentence, the condition is the battery failing. batteriet means “the battery” here. The base noun is batteri; the ending -et marks the definite singular form in this noun’s pattern: et batteri — “a battery”, batteriet — “the battery”. The definite form identifies the battery relevant to the situation, without itself stating how many batteries exist. går i stykker is the ordinary Danish expression “fails” or literally “goes into pieces”. Its verb is går, the present form of gå (“go”); i stykker completes the fixed expression. In this utterance, it describes the battery becoming unusable, not physical movement. For example, Min telefon går i stykker means “My phone breaks down.” skal jeg så combines skal with the subject pronoun jeg and the adverb så. Skal is the present form of skulle and can ask what someone is expected, supposed, or going to do; så here means “then”, referring to the condition just mentioned. The word order skal jeg ...? makes a question. The phrase asks what action the speaker should take if the condition occurs; it does not by itself assert that the speaker will take that action. tage is the infinitive of tage, “take” or “bring”. With med herhen, as here, it can describe taking or bringing something along to the deictic “here”. The infinitive follows skal: skal jeg tage ...? — “should I bring ...?”. tabletten means “the tablet”. The base noun is tablet; -en marks its definite singular form: en tablet — “a tablet”, tabletten — “the tablet”. The definite form points to the tablet intended in this situation. med herhen means “along to here”. Med contributes the sense of taking something along, while herhen indicates movement toward the place designated as “here”. Together with tage, tage tabletten med herhen means “bring the tablet here”. Herhen is directional; compare her (“here”, location) in contexts that describe where something is rather than movement toward here. eller links alternatives and means “or”. It introduces the second possible action in the question. kontakte is the infinitive “contact”. It follows skal in the second alternative, with the repeated modal understood: skal jeg ... eller kontakte ...? — “should I ... or contact ...?”. The form is an infinitive, not a present-tense form. producenten means “the manufacturer”. The base noun is producent; -en marks its definite singular form: en producent — “a manufacturer”, producenten — “the manufacturer”. The whole structure is Hvis [condition], skal jeg så [option 1] eller [option 2]?: “If [condition], should I then [option 1] or [option 2]?” Here, Hvis batteriet går i stykker gives the condition, and skal jeg så tage tabletten med herhen eller kontakte producenten? asks whether the speaker should bring the tablet here or contact the manufacturer. The alternatives are coordinated under the modal skal; the second skal is not repeated because Danish can leave it understood.

6. Du kan starte reklamationssagen her, og vi forklarer, hvad der sker bagefter.

   You can start the claim here, and we will explain what happens next.

   Du kan

   you can

   starte

   start

   reklamationssagen

   the claim

   her

   here

   forklarer

   explain

   hvad der sker

   what happens

   bagefter

   afterwards

   More detail

   Du kan means “you can” here. kan is the present form of the modal verb kunne, expressing ability or permission depending on context; the fixed translation supports the possibility/permission to begin the claim. After a Danish modal verb, the following verb uses the infinitive without at: kan starte (“can start”). Example: Du kan vente her. — “You can wait here.” starte is the infinitive “to start.” Its present-tense form is starter: Jeg starter nu. — “I am starting now.” The infinitive is used here because it follows kan. reklamationssagen means “the claim” in this sentence. It is the definite singular form of reklamationssag (“claim case” or “complaint case”): the ending -en marks the common-gender definite form. The first part, reklamations-, specifies the type of case; it is not a separate verb in this sentence. Example: Jeg åbner reklamationssagen. — “I open the claim.” her is the adverb “here,” referring to the place where the action can be started. It does not itself express movement; compare her (“here”) with herhen (“to here”). Example: Du kan aflevere den her. — “You can hand it in here.” forklarer means “explain” here. It is the present-tense form of forklare; the subject vi (“we”) appears immediately before it in the full sentence. Example: Vi forklarer processen. — “We explain the process.” hvad der sker is the compact pattern “what happens.” hvad introduces the content being explained, while der sker expresses “happens”; sker is the present form of ske (“to happen”). In this pattern, der is part of the Danish clause structure and does not mean a separately identified participant. Example: Jeg ved, hvad der sker. — “I know what happens.” bagefter is the adverb “afterwards” or “next,” referring to a later point in the process. It does not name a specific duration. Example: Vi taler om det bagefter. — “We will talk about it afterwards.” Together, Du kan starte reklamationssagen her says that the addressee can begin the claim at this place. og vi forklarer adds that the speakers will explain it, and hvad der sker bagefter identifies the content of that explanation: what happens next. The full meaning is therefore “You can start the claim here, and we will explain what happens next.”

7. Hvordan ved jeg, om det er bedst at få den repareret eller udskiftet?

   How would I know whether repair or replacement is better?

   Hvordan

   how

   ved

   know

   om

   whether

   det

   it

   bedst

   best

   få

   get; have

   den

   it

   repareret

   repaired

   eller

   or

   udskiftet

   replaced

   More detail

   Hvordan means “how” here and introduces the question about the way of knowing. It is the question word used for manner or method. Example: Hvordan virker det? — “How does it work?” ved is the present-tense form of vide, “to know”: jeg ved = “I know.” The form ved is used with several present-tense subjects, while the infinitive is vide. Example: Jeg ved det ikke. — “I don’t know.” om introduces an indirect yes-or-no question, so om ... means “whether ...” here. It is different from hvis, which commonly means “if” in a conditional statement. Example: Jeg ved ikke, om han kommer. — “I don’t know whether he is coming.” det is the subject of det er bedst .... In this sentence it is a grammatical “it” pointing forward to the choice described by the following infinitive phrase, not a specifically identified physical object. Danish commonly uses det er ... to present an evaluation before stating what is being evaluated. bedst is the superlative form of god: god = “good,” bedre = “better,” bedst = “best.” Here it evaluates the choice of having the item repaired or replaced. Example: Det er bedst at vente. — “It is best to wait.” få is the infinitive of få, used after at. In få den repareret and få den udskiftet, it forms a causative pattern meaning “have/get something repaired or replaced”: the subject arranges for another person or service to perform the action. This is not simply the same as personally repairing the item. Example: Jeg får bilen repareret. — “I’m having the car repaired.” den is a singular definite pronoun, “it” here, referring to the item whose repair or replacement is under consideration. Its specific identity is not stated in this utterance. The form is distinct from the plural definite pronoun dem, “them.” repareret is the past participle of reparere, “repair.” After få, it describes the result arranged for the item: få den repareret = “have it repaired.” The participle belongs to the repair action, not to få as its base form. eller means “or” and links the two alternatives. It presents repair and replacement as competing options within the same få ... pattern. udskiftet is the past participle of udskifte, “replace.” In få den udskiftet, it parallels få den repareret: “have it replaced.” The repeated object den is understood with both alternatives even though it is written only once. Together, Hvordan ved jeg asks how the speaker can know, and om det er bedst introduces the matter being determined: whether one option is best. The two parallel alternatives are at få den repareret (“to have it repaired”) and udskiftet (“replaced”), with den understood as the same item in both. Thus the complete utterance means: “How would I know whether it is best to have it repaired or replaced?”

8. Vi undersøger først problemet og forklarer derefter, hvilke muligheder der er.

   We check the problem first, then explain the available options.

   Vi

   we

   undersøger

   examine; investigate

   først

   first

   problemet

   the problem

   forklarer

   explain

   derefter

   afterwards; then

   hvilke

   which

   muligheder

   options; possibilities

   der er

   are available

   More detail

   Vi means “we” and is the subject of both coordinated verbs. Danish subject pronouns include jeg “I”, du “you” (singular), and vi “we”. The form vi itself does not identify how many people are included beyond plural reference. undersøger means “examine” or “investigate” here. Its base form is undersøge, and undersøger is the present-tense form. Danish present-tense verbs generally do not change for person or number: jeg undersøger and vi undersøger both use undersøger. Example: Vi undersøger sagen. — “We investigate the matter.” først means “first” and places this action before the later action. It is an adverb, so it does not take a noun’s gender or number form. problemet means “the problem”. The indefinite noun is et problem, and the definite singular form is problemet; the ending -et marks this noun’s neuter definite form. This is the noun that is being examined. Example: Problemet er tydeligt. — “The problem is clear.” forklarer means “explain” here. Its base form is forklare, and forklarer is its present-tense form. As with undersøger, the present form is not changed to agree with vi. Example: De forklarer planen. — “They explain the plan.” derefter means “afterwards” or “then”. Here it orders the explaining after the examining. It is an adverb and does not inflect. hvilke means “which” in this sentence. It is the plural form used with the plural noun muligheder and introduces the content of what is explained: which options exist. Compare singular hvilken mulighed — “which option” — with plural hvilke muligheder — “which options”. muligheder means “options” or “possibilities”. Its base form is mulighed, and muligheder is the plural form. The noun is indefinite plural here; a definite plural would be mulighederne, “the options”. Example: Vi vurderer flere muligheder. — “We consider several options.” der er means “there are” in this clause, with the intended sense “are available” or “exist”. er is the present form of være, “be”. In the pattern hvilke muligheder der er, der introduces the clause and er states that the options exist; it is not the ordinary subject pronoun meaning “they”. Example: Jeg ved, hvilke muligheder der er. — “I know which options there are.” Together, Vi undersøger først problemet says “We examine the problem first”. og forklarer derefter coordinates a second action by the same subject: “and then explain”. The final clause, hvilke muligheder der er, specifies what is explained: “which options are available”. The complete meaning is: “We check the problem first, then explain the available options.”

9. Det hjælper mig med at beslutte, om denne tablet er et fornuftigt valg.

   That helps me decide whether this tablet is a sensible choice.

   Det

   that

   hjælper

   helps

   mig

   me

   med at

   with ... / to

   beslutte

   decide

   om

   whether

   denne

   this

   tablet

   tablet

   fornuftigt

   sensible

   valg

   choice

   More detail

   Det is a neuter singular pronoun. Here it is the subject of hjælper and is translated as “That.” The sentence does not identify exactly what Det refers to, so its specific referent should not be inferred from this sentence alone. hjælper means “helps” here. It is the present-tense form of hjælpe (“to help”): jeg hjælper = “I help,” and det hjælper = “it helps.” mig means “me,” the first-person singular object form. The subject form is jeg (“I”): Det hjælper mig = “That helps me.” med at beslutte is a reusable Danish pattern meaning “with deciding” or, naturally in English, “to decide.” The verb beslutte means “to decide” and is the infinitive after at. Example: Hun hjælper mig med at vælge. = “She helps me choose.” om introduces an indirect yes-or-no question and means “whether” here: beslutte, om ... = “decide whether ...”. In other contexts, om can have a different function, including “about”; the clause structure determines its role here. denne means “this.” It is a singular demonstrative modifying the following noun. Danish demonstratives agree with the noun’s grammatical gender and number; denne is used with a common-gender singular noun. tablet means “tablet” here, the device. It is a common-gender noun: en tablet is the indefinite singular, and tabletten is the definite singular. denne tablet means “this tablet.” fornuftigt means “sensible” here. It is the neuter singular form of the adjective fornuftig, agreeing with valg, which is a neuter noun: et valg. A comparison is mere fornuftig (“more sensible”), while ufornuftig means “unreasonable” or “not sensible.” valg means “choice.” Its indefinite singular form is et valg, and its definite singular is valget. In et fornuftigt valg, it is the noun described as sensible. Together, Det hjælper mig med at beslutte means “That helps me decide.” The comma introduces om denne tablet er et fornuftigt valg, a whether-clause meaning “whether this tablet is a sensible choice.” Within that clause, denne tablet is the subject, er is the present form of være (“to be”), and et fornuftigt valg describes the tablet. The complete utterance therefore means: “That helps me decide whether this tablet is a sensible choice.”

10. Detaljerne om garantien betyder mere, når du planlægger at bruge den hver dag.

    Warranty details matter more when you plan to use it every day.

    Detaljerne

    the details

    garantien

    the warranty

    betyder

    matter

    mere

    more

    planlægger

    plan

    bruge

    use

    den

    it

    hver dag

    every day

    More detail

    Detaljerne is the definite plural of detalje (“detail”): detalje → detaljer → detaljerne. The definite ending -ne marks “the details,” and the plural subject is why the sentence talks about several details. Example: Detaljerne er vigtige. — “The details are important.” garantien is the definite singular of garanti (“warranty”): garanti → garantien. The preposition om before it gives the pattern detaljerne om ..., “the details about ...”. betyder is the present-tense form of betyde (“to mean” or, in this use, “to matter”). In detaljerne ... betyder, it says that the details matter; Danish present-tense verbs do not change for singular versus plural subjects. Example: Det betyder meget. — “It matters a lot.” mere means “more” here and compares the importance of the warranty details with their importance in some other situation. It is also the comparative form of meget: meget (“much/a lot”) → mere (“more”) → mest (“most”). The combination betyder mere means “matter more.” planlægger is the present-tense form of planlægge (“to plan”). With du, it means “you plan.” Danish uses at followed by the infinitive in the pattern planlægger at ..., “plan to ...”. Example: Du planlægger at rejse. — “You plan to travel.” bruge is the infinitive of bruge (“to use”). After at in planlægger at bruge, it remains in the infinitive rather than taking a present-tense ending. Example: Jeg vil bruge den. — “I want to use it.” den is a singular common-gender pronoun meaning “it” in this sentence. In the supplied context, the intended referent is the tablet mentioned previously, and bruge den therefore means “use it.” The form den is also used as a determiner before a common-gender noun, but here it stands on its own as a pronoun. hver dag means “every day.” hver expresses the repeated one-by-one pattern, and dag means “day”; together they form a reusable time expression. Example: Hun læser hver dag. — “She reads every day.” The full structure is Detaljerne om garantien (“the details about the warranty”) + betyder mere (“matter more”) + når (“when”) + du planlægger at bruge den hver dag (“you plan to use it every day”). Thus the utterance means: “Warranty details matter more when you plan to use it every day.”