Making a polite complaint at a service desk | Learn Danish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Jeg vil gerne klage over servicen i går.

   I would like to make a complaint about the service yesterday.

   Jeg vil gerne

   I would like to

   klage over

   complain about

   servicen

   the service

   i går

   yesterday

   More detail

   Jeg vil gerne means “I would like to.” vil is the present-tense form of ville (“to want”), and gerne makes this a polite way to state what the speaker would like to do. A useful Danish pattern is Jeg vil gerne + infinitive, meaning “I would like to” + verb. For example, Jeg vil gerne bestille means “I would like to order.” klage over means “complain about” or “make a complaint about.” klage is the infinitive after vil gerne. Here, over introduces the topic or object of the complaint, not its subject. For example, Hun klager over støjen means “She complains about the noise.” servicen means “the service” here. The noun is service, and servicen is its definite singular form, with the definite ending -en. This ending marks definiteness, not a numerical count. For example, God service means “good service,” while den gode service means “the good service.” i går is the Danish time expression for “yesterday.” Its meaning is learned as a whole rather than by translating each part separately. For example, Jeg arbejdede i går means “I worked yesterday.” Together, Jeg vil gerne klage over servicen i går means “I would like to make a complaint about the service yesterday.” The pattern is Jeg vil gerne + infinitive (klage) + over + the thing complained about (servicen), followed by the yesterday time reference (i går). In this fixed sentence, the phrase points to the service/complaint situation as occurring yesterday, matching the supplied translation. This is a polite way to begin a complaint.

2. Det er jeg ked af at høre. Kan du fortælle mig, hvad der skete?

   I am sorry to hear that. Could you tell me what happened?

   ked af

   sorry

   at høre

   to hear

   Kan du

   can you

   fortælle

   tell

   mig

   me

   hvad der skete

   what happened

   More detail

   ked af expresses being sorry or sad about something. In this sentence, jeg er ked af ... means “I am sorry ...”; ked af is a fixed adjective-plus-preposition expression, not a past-tense form. The following at høre supplies what the speaker is sorry about. at høre is the infinitive “to hear”: at marks the infinitive, and høre is the base form. Here it means receiving or learning the information, rather than deliberately listening. Danish also uses høre in contexts where English may say “hear about” or “find out.” Kan du combines present-tense kan from kunne (“can/be able to”) with du (“you”). In a question, the verb comes before the subject: Kan du ...? The wording can function as a polite request, which matches “Could you ...?” here; it does not necessarily ask only about physical ability. fortælle is the infinitive “tell” or “inform.” After the modal kan, Danish uses the infinitive without another infinitive marker: Kan du fortælle ...? A reusable pattern is Kan du fortælle mig ...? (“Could you tell me ...?”). mig is the first-person singular object form, “me.” It contrasts with the subject form jeg (“I”): Jeg fortæller means “I tell,” while fortæl mig means “tell me.” hvad der skete means “what happened.” hvad asks for the content or event, while der skete forms the embedded clause; skete is the past form of ske (“happen”). In an embedded question, Danish has the order hvad der skete; the direct-question pattern is different: Hvad skete der? (“What happened?”). Example: Jeg ved, hvad der skete. — “I know what happened.” Together, Det er jeg ked af at høre means “I am sorry to hear that”: det refers to the situation just mentioned, and jeg is the speaker. Kan du fortælle mig, hvad der skete? then asks, politely, whether the listener can tell the speaker what happened. The full utterance therefore expresses sympathy and follows it with a request for an account of the event.

3. Jeg ventede længe efter min bekræftede aftale.

   I waited a long time after my confirmed appointment.

   Jeg

   I

   ventede

   waited

   længe

   for a long time

   efter

   after

   min

   my

   bekræftede

   confirmed

   aftale

   appointment

   More detail

   Jeg means “I” here: it is the first-person singular subject pronoun. Danish uses jeg for the speaker as the subject; its form does not change for gender. ventede is the past-tense form of vente, “to wait.” The ending -ede is used by many regular Danish verbs in the simple past, so jeg ventede means “I waited.” Example: Jeg ventede på bussen. — “I waited for the bus.” længe describes the duration of the waiting: “for a long time.” It is an adverb here, not an adjective modifying aftale. Example: Hun sov længe. — “She slept for a long time.” efter means “after” and introduces the event or thing that serves as the time reference. In this sentence, it places the waiting after the appointment. min means “my” before a singular common-gender noun. It expresses possession and agrees with the noun’s grammatical gender and number; it is not the form used before a singular neuter noun. For example, min aftale means “my appointment,” while mit møde means “my meeting” when møde is neuter. bekræftede means “confirmed” here and describes aftale. Its base form is bekræftet, related to the verb bekræfte, “to confirm.” In this noun phrase, bekræftede is the form used in the definite-style adjective pattern associated with the possessive phrase min ... aftale; it is not the form of aftale itself. Example: Jeg fandt min bekræftede reservation. — “I found my confirmed reservation.” aftale means “appointment” in this translation. The same Danish noun can also mean “agreement” in a different context, but here the fixed translation identifies an appointment. It is a common-gender noun: en aftale means “an appointment,” and the plural is aftaler. Together, Jeg ventede gives “I waited,” længe adds the duration “for a long time,” and efter min bekræftede aftale means “after my confirmed appointment.” The complete utterance therefore means: “I waited a long time after my confirmed appointment.”

4. Den forsinkelse burde være blevet forklaret på det tidspunkt.

   That delay should have been explained at the time.

   forsinkelse

   delay

   burde

   should; ought to

   forklaret

   explained

   på det tidspunkt

   at that time

   More detail

   forsinkelse means “delay” here. It is a common-gender Danish noun: en forsinkelse is “a delay,” and forsinkelsen is “the delay.” In Den forsinkelse, den is a demonstrative meaning “that”; it identifies the delay without changing forsinkelse into the definite form. burde is the preterite form related to bør (“should/ought to”). Here it expresses that the explanation was expected or appropriate by a past point. With a completed event, it can combine with a perfect infinitive: Du burde have ringet. — “You should have called.” This form presents the calling as something that ought to have happened; the sentence itself does not independently state the outcome. forklaret is the past participle of forklare, “to explain.” In blevet forklaret, the delay receives the action, so the construction is passive: “been explained.” The full verb sequence burde være blevet forklaret means “should have been explained.” på det tidspunkt means “at that time.” tidspunkt is a neuter noun meaning “point in time” or “time,” so the demonstrative is det, not den. The phrase locates the expected explanation at a particular relevant time. Together, Den forsinkelse identifies that delay, burde være blevet forklaret says that explaining it was expected, and på det tidspunkt places that expectation at the relevant time. The whole utterance means: “That delay should have been explained at the time.”

5. Jeg forstår, at der kan opstå forsinkelser, men ingen gav mig en opdatering.

   I understand delays happen, but nobody gave me an update.

   Jeg

   I

   forstår

   understand

   der kan opstå

   can arise

   forsinkelser

   delays

   men

   but

   ingen

   nobody

   gav

   gave

   mig

   me

   opdatering

   update

   More detail

   Jeg means “I” here. It is the first-person singular subject form. The corresponding object form is mig, which appears later in the sentence. Danish, like English, uses different forms for subject and object roles: compare English “I” and “me.” forstår means “understand” in this sentence. Its base form is forstå; forstår is the present-tense form used with jeg as well as with other singular and plural subjects in the present. Example: Jeg forstår spørgsmålet. — “I understand the question.” der kan opstå expresses that something can arise or occur. der is an existential subject pattern here, not a reference to a previously mentioned thing. kan is the present form of kunne (“can/may”), and the modal is followed by the infinitive opstå (“arise”). The pattern der kan opstå + noun is reusable for possible events: Der kan opstå problemer. — “Problems may arise.” forsinkelser means “delays” here. Its singular form is forsinkelse, and the observed form is the plural. In der kan opstå forsinkelser, the delays are what may arise; Danish places the existential pattern before the noun in this clause. men means “but” and joins the two contrasting parts of the utterance. The first part acknowledges that delays can occur; the second part states what did not happen from the speaker’s perspective. ingen means “nobody” here and functions as the subject of the second clause. It is a negative pronoun referring to no person, rather than the ordinary negation word ikke. Example: Ingen ringede. — “Nobody called.” gav means “gave” here. Its base form is give, and gav is the past-tense form. The past form presents the giving as completed before the utterance. Example: Hun gav mig et svar. — “She gave me an answer.” mig means “me” and is the object receiving the update. It is the object form corresponding to the subject form jeg: Jeg hjælper dig means “I help you,” while Du hjælper mig means “You help me.” opdatering means “update.” Its plural is opdateringer; the singular noun here is introduced by en, so the phrase refers to an update as a singular countable item. The article itself does not add a separate numerical emphasis beyond identifying the singular noun in this construction. Together, Jeg forstår, at der kan opstå forsinkelser means “I understand that delays can arise.” The clause introduced by at gives the content of what the speaker understands. men ingen gav mig en opdatering means “but nobody gave me an update”: ingen is the subject, gav places the action in the past, and mig identifies the recipient. The complete utterance therefore means: “I understand delays happen, but nobody gave me an update.”

6. Vi burde have holdt dig orienteret, mens du ventede.

   We should have kept you informed while you waited.

   Vi

   we

   burde

   should; ought to

   have holdt

   have kept

   dig

   you

   orienteret

   informed

   mens

   while

   du

   you

   ventede

   waited

   More detail

   Vi means “we” here and is the subject of the main clause. Danish vi is the first-person plural pronoun; it does not change for grammatical gender. Example: Vi kommer senere. — “We are coming later.” burde expresses what was the right or expected thing to do: “should” or “ought to.” It is the form of burde, and Danish modal verbs such as this do not take different person endings for “I,” “you,” or “we.” With have plus a past participle, it forms a past “should have” pattern: burde have + participle. have holdt is the perfect construction “have kept.” have is the perfect auxiliary, while holdt is the past participle of holde (“keep,” “hold”). holde has the forms holde (base), holdt (past), and holdt (past participle). In this sentence, holdt means “kept,” not simply “held.” Example: Vi har holdt døren åben. — “We have kept the door open.” dig means “you” as the object of the action. It is the object form corresponding to the subject form du: du = “you” as subject, dig = “you” as object. Example: Jeg hjælper dig. — “I am helping you.” orienteret means “informed” in the reusable expression holde nogen orienteret, literally “keep someone informed.” It is the past participle of orientere and functions here as the complement describing the person being kept up to date. Example: Hold mig orienteret. — “Keep me informed.” mens introduces a clause meaning “while.” It links an action or situation that occurs during the time described in the following clause. Example: Hun læste, mens han lavede mad. — “She read while he cooked.” du means “you” as the subject of the clause introduced by mens. It is the subject form, contrasting with object dig; the form itself does not identify a particular person beyond the supported “you” in the fixed translation. ventede means “waited.” It is the past-tense form of vente (“wait”): vente → ventede. Danish regular past forms like this do not change according to the subject, so the same ventede form can occur with different subjects. Example: Jeg ventede længe. — “I waited a long time.” Together, Vi burde have holdt dig orienteret says that keeping you informed was the expected action, but places that expectation in the past through burde have holdt. mens du ventede specifies the time during which this should have happened: while you were waiting. The complete meaning is “We should have kept you informed while you waited.”

7. Jeg prøver ikke at være besværlig, men jeg forventede bedre service.

   I am not trying to be difficult, but I expected better service.

   Jeg

   I

   prøver

   try

   ikke

   not

   at være

   to be

   besværlig

   difficult

   forventede

   expected

   bedre

   better

   service

   service

   More detail

   Jeg means “I” here. It is the Danish first-person singular subject pronoun. It does not change according to the speaker’s gender. For example: Jeg venter. — “I am waiting.” prøver is the present-tense form of prøve (“to try”). Danish verbs do not change their form for person or number, so prøver can be used with jeg, du, or a plural subject. The pattern prøver at is followed by an infinitive: Jeg prøver at hjælpe. — “I am trying to help.” ikke marks negation. In this main clause, it comes after the finite verb: Jeg prøver ikke ... — “I am not trying ...”. It negates the trying described here, rather than changing the meaning of the following infinitive by itself. at være is the infinitive “to be”: at introduces the infinitive, and være is the base form of “be”. After verbs such as prøver, Danish commonly uses at plus an infinitive: Hun prøver at være rolig. — “She is trying to be calm.” besværlig is a descriptive adjective meaning “difficult” or “troublesome” here. With være, it describes the subject: Det er besværligt. — “It is troublesome.” The form besværlig is not an inflection of prøve or være; it is the adjective itself. forventede is the past-tense form of forvente (“to expect”). Danish past-tense verbs do not change for person or number, so this same form can occur with a singular or plural subject. Here it presents the expectation as something held in the past: Jeg forventede et svar. — “I expected an answer.” bedre is the comparative form of god (“good”): god → bedre → bedst (“good” → “better” → “best”). In bedre service, it compares the service with a standard or with what was received or anticipated; the comparison is not stated explicitly. For example: Vi har brug for bedre information. — “We need better information.” service is a noun meaning “service” in this context. Danish also uses the loanword service for the assistance or quality of service provided to a customer. In bedre service, the adjective comes before the noun, as in god service (“good service”). The first clause is assembled as Jeg prøver ikke at være besværlig: “I am not trying to be difficult.” The conjunction men then introduces a contrasting clause, jeg forventede bedre service: “I expected better service.” Together, the utterance says that the speaker is not trying to be difficult while expressing that they expected a higher standard of service.

8. Jeg vil bede lederen om at svare skriftligt.

   I will ask the manager to respond in writing.

   Jeg vil

   I will

   bede

   ask

   lederen

   the manager

   om at

   to (do something)

   svare

   respond

   skriftligt

   in writing

   More detail

   Jeg vil means “I will” here and introduces the speaker’s intended future action. vil is the present-tense form of ville; with an infinitive, it commonly expresses willingness, intention, or a future action. The subject form Jeg means “I”. Example: Jeg vil læse. — “I will read.” bede means “ask” in this sentence. It is the infinitive form, used after vil. A useful pattern is bede nogen om at ..., meaning “ask someone to ...”: Jeg beder hende om at ringe. — “I ask her to call.” The person being asked is placed before om at. lederen means “the manager”. Its base form is leder, “manager/leader”; the ending -en marks the definite singular form, so lederen refers to one specific manager in this context. Example: Jeg taler med lederen. — “I am talking with the manager.” om at is the construction that links the request to the action requested: bede [someone] om at [infinitive]. Here, om is followed by at, and at introduces the infinitive svare. This is a reusable pattern rather than a standalone translation of “to” in every context. svare means “respond” or “reply”. It is the infinitive form after at. Example: Hun vil svare senere. — “She will respond later.” skriftligt means “in writing”. It describes the manner of responding. It is an adverbial form used with the verb svare; it does not mean that the manager is itself “written”. Example: Han svarer skriftligt. — “He responds in writing.” Together, Jeg vil + bede lederen expresses the speaker’s intention to ask the specific manager, and om at svare skriftligt states the requested action and manner. The complete meaning is: “I will ask the manager to respond in writing.”

9. Det ville hjælpe. Jeg vil bare have, at sagen bliver håndteret ordentligt.

   That would help. I just want the issue handled properly.

   Det

   That

   ville hjælpe

   would help

   Jeg vil bare have

   I just want

   sagen

   the issue

   bliver håndteret

   is handled

   ordentligt

   properly

   More detail

   Det means “that” here as a neuter singular demonstrative pronoun. It points to an understood situation or action; the supplied sentence does not identify that situation more specifically. In Danish, det can also be used in other functions, so its exact role comes from the surrounding clause. ville hjælpe means “would help.” Hjælpe is the infinitive “to help.” Ville is the form of vil used here to express a conditional result: “would,” rather than the present-time “want” meaning that vil has in Jeg vil .... Example: Det ville være nyttigt. — “That would be useful.” Jeg vil bare have means “I just want.” Jeg is “I,” vil is the present form expressing “want,” and have is the infinitive “to have.” In this pattern, vil have, at ... introduces a desired situation: “want [something] to ...” The word bare limits the request to “just” or “simply”; it is not part of the meaning of vil itself. Sagen means “the issue” or “the matter.” It is the definite singular form of sag; the indefinite form is en sag, “an issue/a matter,” while sagen refers to an identifiable matter in this context. Example: Sagen er vigtig. — “The matter is important.” Bliver håndteret means “is handled” in the intended translation. Bliver is the present form of blive, “become/stay” in other uses, and here it forms a passive construction with the past participle håndteret, “handled.” This construction presents the handling as something being done to sagen; it does not state who handles it. Example: Problemet bliver løst. — “The problem is being solved.” Ordentligt means “properly” here. It is an adverb modifying how the handling is carried out. It is related to the adjective ordentlig, “proper” or “orderly”; the adverbial form ends in -t in this use. Example: Hun arbejder ordentligt. — “She works properly.” Together, Det ville hjælpe says “That would help.” Then Jeg vil bare have, at sagen bliver håndteret ordentligt says “I just want the issue handled properly.” The word at introduces the subordinate clause describing the situation that the speaker wants, and the passive sagen bliver håndteret keeps the handler unspecified. The complete utterance therefore expresses that the understood situation would be helpful and that the speaker’s simple desired outcome is proper handling of the issue.

10. Vent venligst her, mens jeg taler med lederen.

    Please wait here while I speak with the manager.

    Vent

    wait

    venligst

    please

    her

    here

    mens

    while

    jeg

    I

    taler

    speak

    med

    with

    lederen

    the manager

    More detail

    Vent is the imperative of vente, “to wait.” The imperative gives a direct instruction and commonly has the same form as the verb stem here. Example: Vent et øjeblik. — “Wait a moment.” venligst is a polite word meaning “please.” It softens the instruction but does not change the action being requested. Example: Luk døren, venligst. — “Please close the door.” her means “here,” referring to the place where the listener is being asked to remain. It is a location adverb, so it does not change for number or gender. Compare her (“here”) with der (“there”). mens introduces an event occurring at the same time as another event; here it means “while.” Example: Læs, mens jeg skriver. — “Read while I write.” jeg is the first-person singular pronoun, “I.” It identifies the speaker as the subject of the following verb. Danish uses jeg for the speaker whether the speaker is male or female. taler is the present-tense form of tale, “to speak” or “to talk.” In this sentence it describes what the speaker is doing during the waiting period. Danish present-tense verbs generally do not change according to the subject’s person or number: jeg taler means “I speak/am speaking,” while de taler means “they speak/are speaking.” med means “with” and marks the person the speaker is speaking to or together with. It is a preposition and does not itself show whether that person is singular or plural. lederen means “the manager” here. It is the definite singular form of leder, “manager” or “leader”; the ending -en marks common-gender singular definiteness in this noun. The form en leder means “a manager,” while lederen means “the manager.” The definite form identifies a particular manager in the situation, without stating how many managers there are overall. Together, Vent venligst her gives the polite instruction “Please wait here.” mens jeg taler med lederen adds the simultaneous activity: “while I speak with the manager.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Please wait here while I speak with the manager.”