Choosing a lighter mystery comedy | Learn Danish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Du vil se en thriller, men jeg håbede på noget lettere.

   You want a thriller, but I was hoping for something lighter.

   Du vil

   you want to

   se

   see

   en

   a

   thriller

   thriller

   men

   but

   jeg

   I

   håbede på

   hoped for

   noget

   something

   lettere

   lighter

   More detail

   Du vil combines the second-person singular pronoun Du with vil, which means “want” here. Danish uses vil followed by an infinitive to express wanting to do something: Du vil se = “you want to watch.” Du is the subject; vil does not change for person or number. se is the infinitive “to see” or “to watch.” After vil, it names the desired action without an infinitive marker equivalent to English “to.” Example: Jeg vil læse. — “I want to read.” en is the indefinite article used with a singular common-gender noun. Here it introduces thriller; it does not by itself assert a numerical count as a teaching point, but presents the noun as indefinite. Danish also has et for singular neuter-gender nouns. thriller is a noun meaning “thriller.” In this sentence it is a singular indefinite noun after en. A useful form is thrilleren, “the thriller,” with the definite ending attached to the noun. men means “but.” It links two contrasting clauses: the first expresses what the other person wants, while the second expresses the speaker’s different hope. jeg is the first-person singular pronoun “I.” It identifies the speaker as the subject of the following verb. Unlike English pronouns, Danish subject pronouns do not generally mark the speaker’s gender here. håbede på is the past form of håbe på, “to hope for.” The base form is håbe; håber is present tense, and håbede is past tense. The preposition på belongs to this construction when the hoped-for thing is expressed: Jeg håber på en løsning. — “I hope for a solution.” Danish verb forms generally do not change for person, so jeg håbede uses the same past form as other subjects. noget means “something.” It is an indefinite pronoun referring here to an unspecified thing the speaker hoped for. It can also introduce an adjective describing that unspecified thing, as in noget varmt — “something warm.” lettere is the comparative form of the adjective let, meaning “light” in the relevant sense here. The comparison chain is let — “light,” lettere — “lighter,” lettest — “lightest.” In noget lettere, the comparative describes the unspecified thing as lighter than an understood alternative; the sentence does not state exactly what that alternative is. The adjective appears after noget in this pattern. Together, Du vil se en thriller means “You want to watch a thriller.” men introduces the contrast, and jeg håbede på noget lettere means “I was hoping for something lighter.” The whole utterance therefore means: “You want a thriller, but I was hoping for something lighter.”

2. Måske kan vi finde en film, som vi begge har lyst til at se.

   Maybe we can find a film we both feel like watching.

   Måske

   maybe

   kan vi

   we can

   finde

   find

   film

   film

   som

   that/which

   vi begge

   both of us

   har lyst til

   feel like

   at se

   to watch

   More detail

   Måske means “maybe” here. It is an adverb expressing uncertainty about the whole proposal. Example: Måske kommer hun. — “Maybe she is coming.” kan vi combines kan, the present form of kunne (“can/be able to”), with vi (“we”). kan is modal and is followed by an infinitive without at: vi kan finde means “we can find.” vi is the first-person plural pronoun, “we.” finde is the infinitive of finde (“find”). After the modal kan, Danish uses this bare infinitive: kan finde, not kan at finde. Example: Vi kan vente. — “We can wait.” film is the noun “film/movie.” In this sentence, en before it marks an indefinite singular noun phrase: en film means “a film,” without asserting a numeric count as a separate idea. The noun itself is film; its common-gender form is shown by the article en. som is a relative pronoun meaning “that” or “which” in this sentence. It introduces information about the film. The relative clause has vi as its subject, while som represents the film as the thing to watch: en film, som vi ... har lyst til at se — “a film that we ... feel like watching.” vi begge means “we both.” begge adds the meaning that the two members included by vi share the attitude or action. Example: Vi begge kan komme is possible, but the more usual word order is Vi kan begge komme — “We can both come.” har lyst til is the Danish expression “feel like” or “have a desire to.” Here har is the present form of have, and lyst is a noun meaning “desire,” but the whole expression is normally learned as have lyst til. With an action, it is followed by at plus an infinitive: Jeg har lyst til at læse. — “I feel like reading.” at se consists of the infinitive marker at and se, the infinitive of “see/watch.” With a film, se is naturally understood as “watch.” The marker at belongs to the infinitive construction after har lyst til; it is different from the bare infinitive after the modal kan. Together, kan finde gives the possibility or ability to find something, and en film, som vi begge har lyst til at se specifies the film: it is one that both people feel like watching. With Måske at the beginning, the whole utterance means: “Maybe we can find a film we both feel like watching.”

3. Hvad med denne mysteriekomedie? Anmeldelserne siger, at den ikke er for intens.

   What about this mystery comedy? The reviews say it isn't too intense.

   Hvad med

   What about …?

   denne

   this

   mysteriekomedie

   mystery comedy

   Anmeldelserne

   the reviews

   siger

   say

   den

   it

   ikke

   not

   er

   is

   for intens

   too intense

   More detail

   Hvad med is a reusable way to suggest or raise a possibility: “What about …?” It is followed here by the thing being proposed. Example: Hvad med en kaffe? — “What about a coffee?” denne means “this” and points to one nearby or currently relevant common-gender singular noun. Danish also has dette for neuter singular and disse for plural. Here denne agrees with mysteriekomedie, not with an unstated article. mysteriekomedie is a compound noun meaning “mystery comedy”: a comedy with a mystery element. Danish commonly forms compounds as one written word. The word is a common-gender noun, as shown by the form denne in this sentence. Anmeldelserne means “the reviews.” Its base form is anmeldelse (“review”); anmeldelser is plural, and the ending -ne marks definite plural, “the reviews.” This form is different from anmeldelsen, “the review,” which is definite singular. siger is the present-tense form of sige, “to say.” In Danish, the present form does not change for person or number: jeg siger means “I say,” while de siger means “they say.” Here the reviews are the subject, and siger introduces what they say. den is a third-person singular pronoun referring here to the film or comedy under discussion, matching the fixed meaning “it.” In this use it is the subject of the following clause. Danish also uses det for a neuter singular referent; the choice follows the grammatical gender of the referent, not simply its physical size. ikke is the ordinary negation word “not.” It normally comes before the finite verb in this clause: den ikke er — “it is not.” er is the present-tense form of være, “to be.” It does not change for person or number: jeg er and de er both use er. Here it links den with the description for intens. for intens means “too intense.” intens is the adjective “intense,” and for placed before an adjective can mark an excessive degree: for dyr — “too expensive.” The phrase therefore says that the film’s intensity is above the acceptable level implied in the sentence, not merely that it has some intensity. Together, Hvad med denne mysteriekomedie? proposes this particular mystery comedy as an option. Anmeldelserne siger, at den ikke er for intens reports that the reviews say the comedy is not excessively intense. The whole utterance is therefore: “What about this mystery comedy? The reviews say it isn't too intense.”

4. Det kunne fungere. Har den undertekster?

   That could work. Does it have subtitles?

   Det kunne

   That could

   fungere

   work

   Har den

   does it have

   undertekster

   subtitles

   More detail

   Det kunne combines det, meaning “that” here, with the modal kunne, meaning “could.” Det is a neuter singular pronoun; in this utterance, the translation identifies it as the matter or option being considered. Kunne is the past form of kan and expresses possibility here, not past time: “could.” After a modal verb, Danish uses an infinitive without at. fungere is the infinitive “to work” in the sense of being suitable or successful, not physical employment. The reusable pattern is kunne + infinitive: Det kunne hjælpe. — “That could help.” Har den contains har, the present form of have, followed by den, a common-gender singular pronoun meaning “it” here. In a Danish yes-or-no question, the finite verb comes before the subject, so Har den ...? means “Does it have ...?” Har has the same present-tense form with different persons and with singular or plural subjects. undertekster is the indefinite plural form of the noun meaning “subtitle.” The definite plural is underteksterne, meaning “the subtitles.” Here it is the object of har, and its indefinite plural form asks generally whether the item has subtitles. Together, Det kunne fungere. says “That could work,” expressing a possible positive assessment. Har den undertekster? asks whether the item under discussion has subtitles. The full utterance is therefore: “That could work. Does it have subtitles?”

5. Det har den, og den er ikke for lang.

   It does, and it isn't too long.

   Det har den

   It does

   den er

   it is

   ikke for lang

   not too long

   More detail

   Det har den is a Danish way to answer a preceding yes/no question affirmatively when the answer uses har: “It does.” Here, det is the general pro-sentence element, while den is the pronoun for the singular item being discussed. It is not useful to read det here as a separate object. Den is used for a singular common-gender (en-word) referent. Example: Har filmen undertekster? Det har den. — “Does the film have subtitles? It does.” den er combines the pronoun den with er, the present form of være (“to be”). Den identifies the item, and er states its current property. Danish uses det rather than den when the referent is a singular neuter (et-word) noun, but the choice depends on the noun’s grammatical gender, not simply on its being singular. Example: Filmen er kort. — “The film is short.” ikke for lang means “not too long.” ikke negates the description, while for means “too” before an adjective. lang is the adjective “long”; its base form is lang, and here it is the common-gender singular form. Its comparison forms are lang (“long”), længere (“longer”), and længst (“longest”). Ikke for lang (“not too long”) differs from ikke lang (“not long”): for adds the idea of exceeding a suitable limit. Example: Filmen er ikke for lang. — “The film is not too long.” Together, Det har den answers the preceding question affirmatively: the item has subtitles. Og connects that answer to den er ikke for lang, which says that the same item is not excessively long. The whole utterance therefore means: “It does, and it isn’t too long.”

6. Kortere film er bedre, når vi starter sent.

   Shorter movies are better when we start late.

   Kortere

   shorter

   film

   movies

   bedre

   better

   når

   when

   vi

   we

   starter

   start

   sent

   late

   More detail

   Kortere means “shorter” here. It is the comparative form of kort (“short”): kort → kortere → kortest (“short” → “shorter” → “shortest”). The comparative marks a comparison with something understood from the situation; it does not identify what the other item is. film means “movie” here. In Danish, film has the same written form in the indefinite singular and plural; the surrounding grammar and meaning show the plural reading here: “movies.” A useful contrast is en film (“a movie”) and filmene (“the movies”). bedre means “better.” It is the comparative form of god (“good”): god → bedre → bedst (“good” → “better” → “best”). The form bedre compares the movies with another possible set or standard, while god would simply describe them as good. når introduces a time condition meaning “when.” It connects the main statement with the situation in which it applies. For example: Jeg ringer, når jeg kommer hjem. — “I’ll call when I get home.” vi is the first-person plural pronoun, “we.” It refers to the speaker together with at least one other person, but the supplied sentence does not specify who the other person or people are. starter means “start” here. It is the present-tense form of starte (“to start”). Danish present-tense verbs generally do not change according to whether the subject is jeg (“I”), vi (“we”), or another person: jeg starter and vi starter both use starter. sent means “late” here. It describes the timing of the starting. In this use it functions adverbially, telling when the action happens; it is not the comparative “later,” which is senere. Together, Kortere film is “shorter movies,” and er bedre says that they are better. The clause når vi starter sent specifies the time condition: “when we start late.” The complete utterance therefore means, “Shorter movies are better when we start late.”

7. Traileren har lidt spænding, men den ser stadig sjov ud.

   The trailer has some suspense, but it still looks funny.

   Traileren

   the trailer

   har

   has

   lidt

   some

   spænding

   suspense

   men

   but

   den

   it

   ser … ud

   looks

   stadig

   still

   sjov

   funny

   More detail

   Traileren is trailer with the definite ending -en: en trailer = “a trailer,” traileren = “the trailer.” The ending marks a definite singular noun here; it is not a separate word. Example: Filmen er kort. — “The film is short.” har is the present-tense form of have, “to have.” The same form is used with different subjects in the present: Jeg har tid. — “I have time.” lidt means “some” or “a little” here. It presents spænding as an uncounted amount, not as a stated number. The related form lille means “small” and describes size, whereas lidt expresses a small amount. spænding means “suspense” in this sentence. It is a noun built from the idea of tension or excitement, but its meaning here is the suspense supplied by the trailer. Example: Filmen har meget spænding. — “The film has a lot of suspense.” men is the conjunction “but.” It links the first description with a contrasting second description without changing the earlier statement. den is a third-person singular pronoun with the common-gender form used here for traileren; in the translation, its referent is “the trailer.” Danish pronoun form is determined by the noun’s grammatical gender, while the actual referent comes from the sentence and context. Example: Bogen er god. Den er kort. — “The book is good. It is short.” ser ... ud is the Danish construction “looks” or “appears.” The verb se means “to see,” but with ud it describes how something appears: Det ser godt ud. — “It looks good.” The two parts are separated here because stadig stands between them. stadig means “still,” indicating that the appearance continues to hold. It modifies the clause den ser ... ud, not just the adjective by itself. Example: Hun er stadig træt. — “She is still tired.” sjov means “funny” in the supplied translation and describes how the trailer appears. In other contexts it can also mean “fun” or “enjoyable”; the construction se sjov ud makes it a description of appearance here. The adjective is in its basic form, agreeing with the common-gender singular pronoun den; with a neuter singular noun, Danish commonly uses sjovt, as in Det ser sjovt ud. — “It looks funny.” Together, Traileren har lidt spænding says “The trailer has some suspense.” men introduces a contrast, and den ser stadig sjov ud says that the trailer nevertheless continues to appear funny. The complete meaning is: “The trailer has some suspense, but it still looks funny.”

8. Så passer den bedre til os end en ren thriller.

   Then it fits us better than a straight thriller.

   Så

   then

   passer

   fits

   den

   it

   bedre

   better

   til os

   for us

   end

   than

   ren

   straight

   thriller

   thriller

   More detail

   Så is the sentence-initial adverb “then” here. It can also mean “so” in other contexts, but the fixed translation supports “then” in this sentence. passer means “fits” or “suits” here. It is the present-tense form of passe; Danish present-tense verbs do not change according to the subject’s person or number. With til, passe til is a reusable pattern meaning “fit/suit someone or something”: Den passer til mig. — “It suits me.” den is a singular common-gender pronoun meaning “it” here. Its exact referent is not identified by the fixed sentence; its grammatical form and role are supported, but the sentence does not name what “it” refers to. bedre means “better” and is the comparative form in the god/godt – bedre – bedst comparison chain. In passer bedre, it compares how well something suits the relevant people. Denne løsning virker bedre. — “This solution works better.” til os means “for us” in this construction. os is the first-person plural form used after a preposition or as an object; compare vi, which is used as a subject. Thus passer til os means “suits us,” not simply “fits” in a physical sense. end introduces the second side of a comparison: bedre end ... means “better than ...”. It links the comparison with en ren thriller. ren means “straight” in the genre description en ren thriller: the work is presented as a straightforward thriller rather than a mixed or differently characterized kind of work. The observed form is the common-gender singular indefinite form of ren; related agreement forms include rent with a neuter singular noun and rene in plural or definite contexts. en ren komedie — “a straight comedy.” thriller is the noun “thriller,” referring to a work in that genre. In en ren thriller, en marks an indefinite common-gender noun phrase; here it does not by itself assert a numerical count. Together, Så passer den bedre til os means “Then it suits us better,” and end en ren thriller adds the comparison “than a straight thriller.” The complete utterance is: “Then it fits us better than a straight thriller.”

9. Jeg bestiller pladser på den midterste række.

   I'll book seats in the middle row.

   Jeg

   I

   bestiller

   book

   pladser

   seats

   på

   in

   den

   the

   midterste

   middle

   række

   row

   More detail

   Jeg means “I” here, the speaker as the subject. Danish personal pronouns distinguish person and number: jeg is first-person singular, while vi is first-person plural (“we”). bestiller is the present-tense form of bestille, “to order” or, in this context, “to book.” The ending does not change for first, second, or third person in the present tense: jeg bestiller means “I book,” and de bestiller means “they book.” Here it expresses the speaker’s intended booking. Example: Jeg bestiller en billet. — “I’m booking a ticket.” pladser is the plural of plads, “seat” or “place.” The singular is en plads, and the definite singular is pladsen; the plural form used here is pladser. Example: Vi har to pladser. — “We have two seats.” på is the preposition used here for the location “in” a row: pladser på rækken refers to seats situated in the row. Its exact English equivalent depends on the relationship being expressed; in this sentence, the fixed translation supports “in.” den is the definite singular common-gender form corresponding to “the.” It agrees with the noun phrase headed by række, which is common gender and singular. Danish also has det for definite singular neuter nouns, but the choice is determined by the noun’s grammatical gender, not by the intended meaning alone. midterste means “middle” in the sense of being in the central position. It is the definite attributive form used before a definite noun phrase: den midterste række, “the middle row.” The related form midterst appears in other grammatical environments, while the -e form is used here with den and the definite noun phrase. Example: den midterste stol — “the middle chair.” række means “row.” It is a common-gender singular noun: en række is “a row,” rækken is “the row,” and rækker is “rows.” In this sentence, række follows den midterste, so the complete noun phrase is definite even though the noun itself is not marked with the separate definite ending -en. Together, Jeg bestiller gives the action and its first-person subject, pladser gives the seats being booked, and på den midterste række specifies their location. The whole utterance therefore means: “I’ll book seats in the middle row.”

10. Jeg tror, vi begge vil nyde den.

    I think we'll both enjoy that one.

    Jeg tror

    I think

    vi begge

    both of us

    vil

    will

    nyde

    enjoy

    den

    that one

    More detail

    Jeg tror: jeg is the first-person singular pronoun “I”. tror is the present-tense form of tro, “to think” or “to believe”. Here it introduces the speaker’s view: “I think …”. Example: Jeg tror, han kommer. — “I think he is coming.” vi begge: vi is the first-person plural pronoun “we”, and begge adds the meaning “both”. Together they mean “both of us”; begge emphasizes that the two members of vi are included. Example: Vi begge kan hjælpe. — “Both of us can help.” vil: This is the present form of the modal verb ville. With an infinitive, it commonly expresses a future event, intention, or expectation; here it contributes “will” in the fixed translation. The following verb remains in the infinitive. Example: Vi vil vente. — “We will wait.” nyde: This is the infinitive of nyde, “to enjoy”. After the modal vil, it stays in the infinitive: vil nyde, “will enjoy”. Example: Jeg vil nyde dagen. — “I will enjoy the day.” den: This is a singular common-gender demonstrative pronoun, used here as “that one”. It points to a contextually identifiable item; the utterance does not itself specify that item by name. The form den can also occur before a common-gender noun, but here it stands on its own. The utterance builds as Jeg tror (“I think”) + vi begge (“both of us”) + vil nyde (“will enjoy”) + den (“that one”). Thus the complete meaning is: “I think both of us will enjoy that one.”