Correcting appointment paperwork | Learn Danish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Jeg lagde mærke til, at mit efternavn er stavet forkert på denne formular.

   I noticed my family name is spelled incorrectly on this form.

   Jeg

   I

   lagde mærke til

   noticed

   mit

   my

   efternavn

   family name

   er stavet

   is spelled

   forkert

   incorrectly

   på

   on

   denne

   this

   formular

   form

   More detail

   Jeg means “I” and identifies the speaker as the subject. Danish subject pronouns include jeg “I,” du “you,” and han/hun “he/she”; jeg does not change for grammatical gender. lagde mærke til is the fixed expression “noticed” here. It is the past-tense form of lægge mærke til (“notice,” literally “lay mark to”), and the whole expression is learned as a unit rather than translated word by word. The past form lagde is used for the completed noticing in this utterance. Example: Jeg lagde mærke til fejlen. — “I noticed the error.” mit means “my” before the neuter singular noun efternavn. Danish possessives agree with the possessed noun: min with common-gender singular nouns, mit with neuter singular nouns, and mine with plural nouns. Thus mit efternavn is “my family name”; the form mit is not determined by the speaker’s gender. efternavn means “family name” or “surname.” Its base form is efternavn; the plural is efternavne, and the definite singular is efternavnet. Example: Hvad er dit efternavn? — “What is your family name?” er stavet means “is spelled.” er is the present form of være (“be”), while stavet is the participle of stave (“spell”). Danish commonly uses være plus a past participle to describe a resulting state, as here. The form er stavet is passive/resultative: the name has a spelling, rather than the name performing the spelling. Example: Ordet er stavet korrekt. — “The word is spelled correctly.” forkert means “incorrectly” in this sentence because it describes how the name is spelled. The same form can also function as an adjective meaning “wrong” or “incorrect,” with its exact role supplied by the construction. Its opposite is korrekt (“correctly/correct”). Example: Navnet er stavet korrekt. — “The name is spelled correctly.” på means “on” here and introduces the form where the spelling appears. It is a preposition; its meaning depends on the relation expressed, so it can have other uses in other sentences. Example: Det står på formularen. — “It is written on the form.” denne means “this” before the singular noun formular. It is the common-gender singular form of the demonstrative; neuter singular uses dette, and plural uses disse. The demonstrative marks the form as a specific one near the speaker or otherwise identified in the situation. formular means “form,” as in a document to fill in. It is a common-gender noun: en formular; its definite singular is formularen and its plural is formularer. Because formular is common gender, the phrase is denne formular, not dette formular. Together, Jeg lagde mærke til gives the past event “I noticed.” The object of that noticing is the clause at mit efternavn er stavet forkert på denne formular: “that my family name is spelled incorrectly on this form.” The complete utterance therefore means “I noticed my family name is spelled incorrectly on this form.”

2. Jeg kan rette papirerne inden din aftale.

   I can correct the paperwork before your appointment.

   Jeg kan

   I can

   rette

   correct

   papirerne

   the paperwork

   inden

   before

   din

   your

   aftale

   appointment

   More detail

   Jeg kan means “I can” here. Jeg is the first-person singular pronoun “I”. kan is the present-tense form of kunne, “can/be able to”. With kan, the next verb stays in the infinitive: Jeg kan rette = “I can correct”. rette means “to correct” here, matching the paperwork context. Its infinitive is rette; a useful present-tense form is retter, as in Jeg retter fejlen — “I am correcting the error.” Danish uses the infinitive after modal verbs such as kan. papirerne means “the paperwork” in this sentence. It is the definite plural form of papir, “paper” or “paper/document”, and can refer to a set of papers or documents. The ending -erne marks definite plural: papirer means “papers”, while papirerne means “the papers”. inden means “before” when introducing a time limit or an event. In inden din aftale, it places the correction earlier than the appointment. A related time expression is efter, “after”, but it expresses the opposite order: efter aftalen means “after the appointment”. din means “your” before the singular common-gender noun aftale. The possessive agrees with the noun being possessed, not with the person who possesses it. For a singular neuter noun, the corresponding form is dit; for plural nouns, it is dine. aftale means “appointment” here. It can also mean an agreement or arrangement in other contexts, but the fixed translation identifies the appointment sense. The noun is common gender and singular; its definite form is aftalen, “the appointment”. Together, Jeg kan rette papirerne means “I can correct the paperwork”, and inden din aftale means “before your appointment”. The complete utterance is therefore: “I can correct the paperwork before your appointment.” The pattern Jeg kan + infinitive + ... inden + noun phrase is reusable for saying that you are able to do something before a specified event.

3. Registreringen viser også min gamle foretrukne kontaktmetode.

   The record also shows my old preferred contact method.

   Registreringen

   the record

   viser

   shows

   også

   also

   min

   my

   gamle

   old

   foretrukne

   preferred

   kontaktmetode

   contact method

   More detail

   Registreringen means “the record” here. It is the definite singular form of registrering (“record” or “registration”): the common-gender singular noun takes the definite ending -en. Danish often marks definiteness on the noun itself, rather than with a separate word corresponding to “the.” viser is the present-tense form of vise (“to show”). The present tense can describe what a record currently displays: Dokumentet viser navnet. — “The document shows the name.” også means “also” and adds this information to something already being considered. Its position between viser and the following noun phrase makes the record’s displaying the additional point. min means “my.” It marks a first-person singular possessor and agrees with the common-gender singular noun kontaktmetode; it does not itself state how many contact methods there are. For comparison, Danish uses mit with a neuter singular noun and mine with plural nouns, as in mit navn (“my name”) and mine oplysninger (“my details”). gamle means “old” here. Its base form is gammel; gamle is the form used before a noun in this possessive noun phrase. The meaning is that the contact method is old or previous, not necessarily physically aged. Example: min gamle adresse — “my old address.” foretrukne means “preferred” here. Its related base form is foretrukken; foretrukne is the attributive form used in this phrase. It describes the contact method as the one preferred by the possessor. Example: min foretrukne løsning — “my preferred solution.” kontaktmetode is a compound noun meaning “contact method.” Danish compounds are written as one word here: kontakt (“contact”) + metode (“method”). Its definite form is kontaktmetoden (“the contact method”). Together, min gamle foretrukne kontaktmetode means “my old preferred contact method”: min marks possession, while gamle and foretrukne describe the noun. The complete utterance, Registreringen viser også min gamle foretrukne kontaktmetode., means “The record also shows my old preferred contact method.”

4. Jeg kan opdatere begge oplysninger nu, hvis du viser legitimation.

   I can update both details now if you show your identification.

   Jeg kan

   I can

   opdatere

   update

   begge

   both

   oplysninger

   details; information

   nu

   now

   hvis

   if

   du

   you

   viser

   show

   legitimation

   identification

   More detail

   Jeg kan combines the first-person singular pronoun jeg (“I”) with kan, the present form of kunne (“can; be able to”). Danish modal verbs do not change for person: jeg kan, du kan, and de kan all use kan. A modal is followed by an infinitive, here opdatere, without an extra infinitive marker. opdatere means “to update” here. It is the infinitive after kan; the construction kan opdatere means “can update.” The same verb can be used with other subjects, for example: Hun kan opdatere adressen. — “She can update the address.” begge means “both” and refers specifically to two items considered together. It can stand before a noun, as in begge oplysninger, or be used on its own when the items are already understood. It contrasts with alle, which refers to all members of a group rather than specifically marking a group of two. oplysninger means “details” or “information” in this sentence. It is the plural of en oplysning (“a piece of information; a detail”): oplysning → oplysninger → oplysningerne (“the information/details”). The plural form fits begge; the fixed sentence does not state which two details individually. nu means “now” and places the possible update at the present time. In Jeg kan opdatere begge oplysninger nu, it modifies the updating action rather than changing the meaning of oplysninger. hvis introduces a condition and means “if.” The pattern hvis + clause expresses the condition under which the main clause applies. For example: Jeg kommer, hvis du ringer. — “I will come if you call.” du is the second-person singular pronoun “you.” It is the subject of the clause after hvis; Danish uses du for a singular addressee and I for plural addressees. viser means “show” here. It is the present-tense form of vise (“to show”), and Danish verbs generally do not change their present form according to the subject: jeg viser, du viser, hun viser. The form can therefore be reused with another subject, for example: Han viser sit kort. — “He shows his card.” legitimation means “identification” in this context, especially identification shown to verify who someone is. The phrase viser legitimation means “show identification”; it does not itself specify one particular document. The noun is common gender: en legitimation, with definite form legitimationen (“the identification”). Together, Jeg kan opdatere begge oplysninger nu says “I can update both details now.” The conditional clause hvis du viser legitimation adds the condition “if you show your identification,” giving the complete meaning: “I can update both details now if you show your identification.”

5. Her er den. Jeg vil gerne have, at oplysningerne er korrekte ved fremtidige besøg.

   Here it is. I want the information to be accurate for future visits.

   Her er

   Here is

   den

   it

   Jeg vil gerne have

   I want

   oplysningerne

   the information

   korrekte

   accurate

   ved

   at; in connection with

   fremtidige

   future

   besøg

   visits

   More detail

   Her er is a reusable Danish way to present or point something out: “Here is …”. The verb er is the present form of være (“to be”). In this sentence, Her er den presents the item referred to by den; the supplied translation supports “Here it is.” den is a third-person singular common-gender pronoun. Here it means “it” and is the subject of the presentational clause, although it comes after the verb in Her er den. The fixed sentence does not identify the specific item by name. Danish also uses det for a neuter singular referent, while den is used for a common-gender singular referent. This choice is grammatical, not a statement about the item's real-world gender. Jeg vil gerne have is a polite, softened way to express “I would like / I want to have”. jeg is “I”; vil is the present form of ville, and gerne adds the sense of willingly or gladly. In this construction, have is the infinitive of “to have”. The following clause states what the speaker wants: Jeg vil gerne have, at … (“I would like/want … to …”). oplysningerne means “the information” or “the details” in this context. Its base form is oplysning (“piece of information/detail”); oplysninger is the plural, and the definite plural form adds -ne: oplysningerne. The definite form presents the information as identifiable in the situation, consistent with the earlier mention of two details. Example: Jeg har oplysningerne. — “I have the information.” korrekte means “accurate/correct” here. It is the form of the adjective korrekt used with a plural definite subject such as oplysningerne; the adjective follows that subject in the clause oplysningerne er korrekte. This is not an inflection of oplysningerne: korrekte is the adjective's own form. Example: Svarene er korrekte. — “The answers are correct.” ved is a preposition. With the following time-related noun phrase, ved fremtidige besøg specifies the occasions or circumstances for which the information should be accurate; the fixed translation renders this naturally as “for future visits.” fremtidige means “future”. Its base form is fremtidig; the -e form is used here with the plural noun besøg. Example: ved fremtidige møder — “at future meetings.” besøg means “visits” here. The form is identical for singular and plural in this word: et besøg can mean “a visit”, while besøg can mean “visits” in a plural noun phrase. Here fremtidige and the translation establish the plural reading. Example: Vi har flere besøg. — “We have several visits.” Together, Jeg vil gerne have, at introduces the speaker's desired state. oplysningerne er korrekte says that the identified information should be accurate, and ved fremtidige besøg places that requirement at future visits. The complete utterance is therefore: “Here it is. I want the information to be accurate for future visits.”

6. Det vil hjælpe os med at sende påmindelser og resultater via den rigtige kontaktmetode.

   That will help us send reminders and results by the correct contact method.

   Det

   that

   vil

   will

   hjælpe

   help

   os

   us

   sende

   send

   påmindelser

   reminders

   resultater

   results

   via

   by; via

   rigtige

   correct; right

   kontaktmetode

   contact method

   More detail

   Det means “that” here and functions as the subject. It is a neuter singular form used independently to refer to an already understood situation or fact. Danish also uses det as a neuter singular determiner before a noun, but that is not its role here. vil is the modal verb ville in the present form. In this sentence it expresses a future result or expectation: “will.” It is followed by an infinitive without at: vil hjælpe (“will help”). Ville can have other meanings in other contexts, including “want,” so the surrounding construction determines the meaning here. hjælpe is the infinitive of hjælpe, “to help.” The pattern hjælpe nogen med at + infinitive means “help someone to do something”: hjælpe os med at sende means “help us send.” os is the object form of the first-person plural pronoun: “us.” Compare subject vi (“we”) with object os (“us”): Vi sender means “We send,” while Det hjælper os means “That helps us.” sende is the infinitive “to send.” Here it is the action that os will be helped to carry out. The reusable pattern is med at sende, where at introduces the infinitive after med. påmindelser means “reminders.” It is the plural of påmindelse; the singular is en påmindelse, and the plural form is påmindelser. It is one of the things being sent. resultater means “results.” It is the plural of resultat; the singular is et resultat. The coordinated nouns påmindelser og resultater are both objects of sende. via is a preposition meaning “by” or “via.” It introduces the channel or method used for sending: via e-mail can mean “by email.” rigtige means “correct” or “right” here. It is the form used with the definite noun phrase den rigtige kontaktmetode: the adjective agrees with a singular common-gender noun and appears in the definite form. The base form is rigtig; compare en rigtig metode (“a correct method”) with den rigtige metode (“the correct method”). kontaktmetode means “contact method.” It is a compound noun built from kontakt (“contact”) and metode (“method”). In den rigtige kontaktmetode, den marks the singular common-gender noun phrase as definite, while the noun itself remains in the form kontaktmetode. Together, Det vil hjælpe os med at sende means “That will help us send.” The two plural objects are påmindelser og resultater, “reminders and results.” Finally, via den rigtige kontaktmetode specifies the channel: “by the correct contact method.” The complete meaning is: “That will help us send reminders and results by the correct contact method.”

7. Skal jeg skrive under på den rettede formular igen?

   Do I need to sign the corrected form again?

   Skal jeg

   do I need to?

   skrive under på

   sign

   den

   the

   rettede

   corrected

   formular

   form

   igen

   again

   More detail

   Skal jeg asks whether the speaker needs to do something. skal is the present form of skulle; with jeg and an infinitive, it forms a question about necessity here. After this modal, the next verb appears without at: Skal jeg skrive ...? means “Do I need to write/sign ...?” skrive under på is the verb construction meaning “sign” a document. The verb skrive is the infinitive of “write,” while skrive under is the fixed expression “sign.” The preposition på introduces the document being signed. In another sentence, Skriv under her. means “Sign here.” den is the definite singular determiner used here with formular, a common-gender noun. It identifies a particular form rather than asserting a number by itself. Danish also uses den with a singular common-gender adjective-noun phrase; the grammatical gender of den is not determined merely by the fact that the noun is singular. rettede describes the form as corrected. It is related to the verb rette (“correct” or “amend”) and is the definite singular/plural attributive form corresponding here to rettet in an indefinite singular phrase. Compare en rettet formular (“a corrected form”) with den rettede formular (“the corrected form”). The adjective carries this form; formular is the noun and is not the base of the adjective. formular is a form or document to be filled in or used for a procedure. Its singular indefinite form is formular; the definite form can be formularen when no preceding definite determiner and adjective phrase is used. For example, Jeg udfylder formularen. means “I am filling out the form.” igen means “again,” showing that the signing would be repeated. It modifies the action as a whole rather than naming a second form. For example, Skal jeg sende den igen? means “Do I need to send it again?” Together, Skal jeg asks about necessity, skrive under på den rettede formular names signing the particular corrected form, and igen adds repetition. The complete utterance therefore means: “Do I need to sign the corrected form again?”

8. Skriv venligst under nederst, efter at jeg har foretaget ændringerne.

   Please sign at the bottom after I make the changes.

   Skriv … under

   sign

   venligst

   please

   nederst

   at the bottom

   efter at

   after

   foretaget

   made

   ændringerne

   the changes

   More detail

   Skriv ... under is the reusable Danish expression for “sign.” Skriv is the imperative of skrive (“to write”); in this construction, under completes the meaning “sign.” The imperative addresses the listener directly and normally has no expressed subject. For example: Skriv under her. — “Sign here.” venligst is a polite “please.” It softens a request without changing the action requested. A shorter request can omit it: Skriv under. — “Sign.” nederst means “at the bottom” or “bottommost.” It is an adverb describing the location of the signing, rather than a noun naming a particular bottom. For example: Navnet står nederst. — “The name is at the bottom.” efter at introduces the time clause “after.” The clause following it states an event that is completed before the requested signing: efter at ... — “after ...” This is a conjunction pattern, not just the preposition efter used alone. In jeg har foretaget, jeg is the first-person singular pronoun “I.” har foretaget is the present perfect of foretage (“to carry out, make” in the sense of carrying out an action): har + the past participle foretaget. Here it means “have made/carried out,” referring to the changes being completed before the signing. For example: Jeg har foretaget ændringerne. — “I have made the changes.” ændringerne means “the changes.” Its base noun is ændring (“change”); ændringer is the plural, and the ending -ne marks the definite plural, “the changes.” The noun itself, not foretaget, carries the number and definiteness shown here. Together, efter at jeg har foretaget ændringerne means “after I have made the changes.” The complete utterance asks the listener politely to sign at the bottom, with the signing to occur after the speaker has completed the changes: “Please sign at the bottom after I make the changes.”

9. Jeg er lettet over, at vi opdagede det inden aftalen.

   I am relieved we caught this before the appointment.

   Jeg er

   I am

   lettet

   relieved

   over

   about

   vi

   we

   opdagede

   caught

   det

   this

   inden

   before

   aftalen

   the appointment

   More detail

   Jeg er combines jeg (“I”) with er, the present-tense form of at være (“to be”). Danish uses er for the present of være with different subjects: jeg er = “I am,” while vi er = “we are.” lettet means “relieved” here: it describes the speaker’s emotional state. It is related to at lette (“to ease” or “to lighten”), and the form can function as a participial adjective. In this sentence, jeg er lettet describes a current state, not an action the speaker is performing. over means “about” in the construction lettet over .... With a following clause, this construction identifies what causes the relief. For example, Hun er lettet over, at det gik godt means “She is relieved that it went well.” vi means “we.” It is the first-person plural pronoun, used when the speaker refers to themself together with at least one other person. It is distinct from singular jeg (“I”). opdagede means “caught” or “discovered” in this context. It is the past-tense form of at opdage (“to discover,” “to notice,” or “to catch”). Danish past-tense verbs generally do not change form according to person or number, so jeg opdagede, vi opdagede, and de opdagede use the same verb form. det means “this” in the fixed translation and refers to the matter that was caught or discovered. It is the neuter singular form of the third-person pronoun, but the specific matter is not named in this utterance. Danish also has den for common-gender singular reference; the choice between den and det follows the grammatical gender of the noun being referred to. inden means “before.” Here it introduces the time phrase inden aftalen, placing the discovery earlier than the appointment. It can also introduce a clause, as in inden vi går (“before we leave”). aftalen means “the appointment” here. It is the definite singular form of aftale (“appointment” or “agreement”): aftale is indefinite, while aftalen adds the definite ending -en. The intended meaning in this sentence is the appointment identified by the context. Together, jeg er lettet over expresses “I am relieved about,” and at vi opdagede det gives the event causing that relief: “that we caught this.” The time phrase inden aftalen places that event before the appointment. Thus the whole utterance means: “I am relieved we caught this before the appointment.”

10. Når du har skrevet under, vil den opdaterede registrering være klar til fremtidige besøg.

    Once you sign, the updated record will be ready for future visits.

    Når

    when

    skrevet under

    signed

    vil

    will

    opdaterede

    updated

    registrering

    record

    klar

    ready

    fremtidige

    future

    besøg

    visits

    More detail

    Når introduces a time condition: “when.” The clause beginning with it sets the point at which the main clause applies. A useful pattern is Når + clause, ... for “When ..., ...”. skrevet under is the fixed expression “signed,” literally using skrive (“write”) with the particle under. The observed form skrevet is the past participle of skrive; with har, har skrevet under forms a completed action. Example: Jeg har skrevet under. — “I have signed.” vil is used here as a future auxiliary: vil ... være means “will be.” In this sentence it does not mean “want”; the following state være klar and the fixed translation establish the future reading. Danish commonly places vil before the subject and the rest of the verb phrase in this kind of main clause: ... vil registreringen være klar. opdaterede means “updated” here and describes registrering. It comes from opdatere (“update”) and is a past participle used adjectivally. The -e ending is the form used with a definite noun phrase here; it is the adjective, not the noun, that carries this ending. Compare the indefinite phrase en opdateret registrering — “an updated record” — with the definite den opdaterede registrering — “the updated record.” registrering means “record” in this context. Its base noun form is registrering; with the definite article it appears as registreringen, “the record.” The preceding den and the adjective form show that this is a definite common-gender noun phrase. klar means “ready.” The reusable pattern klar til + noun means “ready for + noun,” as in Dokumentet er klar til brug. — “The document is ready for use.” fremtidige means “future” and modifies besøg. Its base form is fremtidig; the -e form is used here because the noun phrase is plural or definite. This adjective describes visits that are to come, rather than the current visit. besøg means “visits” here. The noun has the same written form for singular indefinite and plural: et besøg can mean “a visit,” while besøg can mean “visits” when the context and modifier establish the plural reading. In this sentence, fremtidige and the fixed translation support “future visits.” Together, Når du har skrevet under means “Once you sign”: the signing is presented as completed before the main-clause situation. vil den opdaterede registrering være klar means “the updated record will be ready,” and til fremtidige besøg specifies what it will be ready for. The complete meaning is: “Once you sign, the updated record will be ready for future visits.”