Apologizing for canceling plans and rescheduling | Learn Danish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Jeg er virkelig ked af det, men jeg er nødt til at aflyse vores aftale i aften.

   I'm really sorry, but I need to cancel tonight's plan.

   Jeg er

   I am

   virkelig

   really

   ked af det

   sorry

   men

   but

   nødt til

   need to; have to

   aflyse

   cancel

   vores

   our

   aftale

   plan; appointment

   i aften

   tonight

   More detail

   Jeg er means “I am”: Jeg is the first-person singular pronoun “I”, and er is the present-tense form of være (“to be”). Danish uses er with this subject; it does not change for the speaker’s gender. The same pattern is reusable in sentences such as Jeg er træt. — “I am tired.” virkelig is the adverb “really” or “truly”. Here it strengthens the following description, so Jeg er virkelig ... means “I am really ...”. It is not the adjective “real”; the related adjective is virkelig as well, with its function determined by where it is used. ked af det is the fixed Danish expression used here for “sorry”. The word ked is an adjective, but this expression is learned as a unit: at være ked af det means “to be sorry” or “to regret something”. In this sentence it describes the speaker’s apologetic feeling; it does not mean that the speaker is physically sad in a literal translation of each word. For example, Jeg er ked af det. means “I’m sorry.” men means “but” and links two contrasting parts. It introduces the cancellation after the apology: the speaker is sorry, but still has to cancel. nødt til expresses obligation or necessity, “have to” or “be forced to”. The full reusable pattern is være nødt til at + infinitive: Jeg er nødt til at gå. — “I have to leave.” nødt is the form used in this construction, and til is followed here by at plus the verb aflyse. aflyse is the infinitive “to cancel”. It is the action required by nødt til at. For example, Vi må aflyse mødet. means “We have to cancel the meeting.” The form stays infinitive after at in the pattern nødt til at aflyse. vores means “our”. It is a possessive determiner referring to something associated with the speaker and at least one other person. In this form, vores does not change according to the gender or number of the noun it determines. For example, vores bil means “our car”, while vores planer means “our plans”. aftale is the noun “appointment”, “arrangement”, or “plan”. In this sentence, the fixed translation supports the sense “plan”: it is the arrangement that is being cancelled. Its indefinite form is en aftale, and its definite form is aftalen (“the appointment/arrangement”). i aften is the time expression “tonight”. Danish places the preposition i before aften in this expression. It specifies when the arrangement is scheduled, rather than describing a separate object. For example, Vi ses i aften. means “See you tonight.” Together, Jeg er virkelig ked af det says “I’m really sorry”. men contrasts that apology with jeg er nødt til at aflyse, “I have to cancel”. vores aftale identifies the shared arrangement, and i aften places it tonight. The complete meaning is: “I’m really sorry, but I need to cancel our plan tonight.”

2. Det er ærgerligt. Skete der noget akut?

   That's disappointing. Did something urgent happen?

   Det er

   that is

   ærgerligt

   disappointing

   Skete

   happened

   der

   existential marker

   noget

   something

   akut

   urgent

   More detail

   Det er is a reusable Danish pattern meaning “it is” or “that is.” Here, det is the grammatical subject of the evaluation; the utterance does not identify a separate concrete referent for it. er is the present form of at være (“to be”). For example: Det er svært. — “It is difficult.” ærgerligt means “disappointing” here. It is the neuter singular form of the adjective ærgerlig, agreeing with neuter det. The common-gender singular form is ærgerlig, and the plural form is ærgerlige. For example: Det er ærgerligt. — “That is disappointing.” Skete means “happened” here. It is the past tense of at ske (“to happen”); the present form is sker, as in Hvad sker der? — “What is happening?” In this question, Skete comes before the formal subject der, which is a normal Danish question pattern. der is an existential or formal subject marker in the pattern der skete ...; here it does not mean a specific place such as “there.” In the question, inversion places Skete before der. The same event pattern works in an ordinary statement: Der skete en fejl. — “An error happened.” noget means “something.” It is an indefinite pronoun for an unspecified thing or event. A useful contrast is ingenting (“nothing”), although the fixed sentence is not negative. In noget akut, it is the thing described by akut. akut means “urgent” here. It describes noget and means requiring immediate attention, rather than merely being important. The form akut is unchanged between common-gender and neuter singular nouns: en akut situation — “an urgent situation”; et akut problem — “an urgent problem.” In the plural, the adjective takes -e: akutte problemer — “urgent problems.” Together, Skete der noget akut? asks whether something urgent happened: skete marks the event as past, der forms the existential event pattern, and noget akut describes the possible event. The complete utterance therefore means: “That is disappointing. Did something urgent happen?”

3. Der er opstået et problem i familien, og jeg kan ikke gå hjemmefra.

   A family issue came up, and I can't leave home.

   Der er opstået

   has arisen / has come up

   problem

   problem / issue

   familien

   the family

   jeg kan ikke

   I cannot

   gå

   go / leave

   hjemmefra

   from home

   More detail

   Der er opstået expresses that something has arisen or come up. Der is an existential introductory word here; it does not refer to a particular person or thing. er is the present form of være (“be”) used as the auxiliary, and opstået is the past participle of opstå (“arise, come up”). Together, er opstået forms a perfect construction with a present consequence: the issue has arisen and is relevant now. A reusable pattern is Der er opstået + noun, for example: Der er opstået en fejl. — “An error has occurred.” problem means “problem” or, in this context, “issue.” It is a common-gender noun; the indefinite singular form is et problem, while the definite singular form is problemet. The noun itself does not change in this sentence because the indefinite article carries the form marking in et problem. familien means “the family.” It is the definite singular form of familie: en familie (“a family”) → familien (“the family”). The definite ending is part of the noun form, so familien presents the family as an identified group rather than introducing one as new. In the full phrase, et problem i familien means “an issue in the family.” jeg kan ikke combines the first-person pronoun jeg (“I”), the modal verb kan (“can”), and the negator ikke (“not”). kan is the present form of kunne; with jeg, it means “can” or “am able to.” The negation changes this to “cannot” in the fixed sentence. After a modal such as kan, the following verb stays in the infinitive: jeg kan gå means “I can go,” while jeg kan ikke gå means “I cannot go.” gå means “go.” After kan, it is the infinitive form of the verb, not a present-tense form. With hjemmefra, gå describes leaving a place: Jeg går hjemmefra. — “I leave home.” The exact time reference in that example comes from the present form går; in the fixed sentence, kan ikke expresses present inability or impossibility. hjemmefra means “from home” and functions as an adverbial expression of the place from which someone leaves. It is built into one written form in Danish, so it is not a separate noun phrase in this sentence. The related place expressions hjemme (“at home”) and hjem (“homeward/to home”) contrast with hjemmefra (“from home”): Hun kommer hjemmefra. — “She comes from home.” The sentence first presents an event with the existential construction Der er opstået: an issue has come up. et problem i familien identifies that issue as one in the family. The second clause, og jeg kan ikke gå hjemmefra, adds that the speaker cannot leave home. Thus the complete meaning is: “A family issue came up, and I can’t leave home.”

4. Jeg forstår det, men jeg ville ønske, jeg havde vidst det tidligere.

   I understand, but I wish I had known earlier.

   Jeg

   I

   forstår

   understand

   det

   it; that

   men

   but

   ville ønske

   wish

   havde vidst

   had known

   tidligere

   earlier

   More detail

   Jeg means “I” here: the speaker is the subject of both main ideas. Danish personal pronouns must match their grammatical role; jeg is the subject form, while mig is used in object positions. Example: Jeg ved det. — “I know it.” forstår means “understand” in the present. Its base form is forstå; forstår is the present form used with jeg and other subjects. Example: Jeg forstår spørgsmålet. — “I understand the question.” det is the pronoun “it” here, referring to the relevant matter or fact understood by the speaker. Its exact referent is not specified in the fixed sentence. Danish also uses den and det as pronouns, but the choice depends on the grammatical properties of the noun or expression being referred to; this sentence gives the form det. men joins two contrasting parts and means “but.” It introduces the speaker’s wish as a contrast with present understanding. Example: Jeg forstår, men jeg er ikke enig. — “I understand, but I do not agree.” ville ønske is the reusable pattern for “would wish” or, in this context, “wish.” ville is the past form of vil, and with ønske it presents a desired situation rather than a straightforward present fact. ønske means “wish” or “desire”; the verb is separate from the modal-like form ville. Example: Jeg ville ønske, jeg havde mere tid. — “I wish I had more time.” havde vidst describes an earlier state of knowing. havde is the past form of have, used here as an auxiliary, and vidst is the past participle of vide (“know”); vidst is not formed from have. Together they form the pluperfect, placing the knowing before a relevant past point. Example: Jeg havde vidst det, hvis du havde sagt det. — “I would have known it if you had said it.” tidligere means “earlier,” comparing the time of knowing with another relevant time. It is the comparative form related to tidlig (“early”); the base adjective describes an early time, while tidligere means at an earlier time or previously. Example: Hun kom tidligere. — “She came earlier.” Together, Jeg forstår det says that the speaker understands the matter now. men jeg ville ønske introduces a contrary desire, and jeg havde vidst det tidligere says that the speaker wishes their knowing had occurred earlier. The complete meaning is therefore: “I understand, but I wish I had known earlier.”

5. Du har ret. Jeg burde have fortalt dig det, så snart jeg vidste det.

   You're right. I should have told you as soon as I knew.

   har ret

   are right

   Jeg burde

   I should

   fortalt

   told

   så snart

   as soon as

   vidste

   knew

   More detail

   har ret is the Danish expression for “to be right.” It is built from have in the present form har plus ret (“right” in this expression). The subject is Du (“you”), so Du har ret means “You’re right.” Jeg burde introduces an obligation or better course of action from the speaker’s perspective: “I should.” burde is the form of bør used here; with have and a past participle, it refers to something that should have happened earlier: Jeg burde have ... = “I should have ...”. fortalt is the past participle of fortælle, “to tell.” In burde have fortalt, have fortalt forms the perfect construction, while burde supplies the “should” meaning. dig means “you” as the person told, and det means “it/that,” referring to the information being discussed. Together, burde have fortalt dig det means “should have told you that/it.” så snart is a conjunction meaning “as soon as.” It introduces the point in time at which the action in the main clause should have occurred. For example: Ring, så snart du er hjemme. — “Call as soon as you are home.” vidste is the past form of vide, “to know.” In jeg vidste det, it means “I knew it.” The past form places the knowing at an earlier time; it is not the perfect construction har vidst (“have known”). The full structure is Jeg burde have fortalt dig det, så snart jeg vidste det. The speaker says that telling the other person was the right or expected action, and that it should have happened immediately once the speaker knew the information: “I should have told you as soon as I knew.”

6. Det sætter jeg pris på. Jeg var allerede begyndt at gøre mig klar.

   I appreciate that. I had already started getting ready.

   Det

   that

   sætter … pris på

   appreciate

   Jeg var

   I was

   allerede

   already

   begyndt

   started

   gøre

   do; make

   klar

   ready

   More detail

   Det means “that” here. It is a demonstrative pronoun functioning as the object of the appreciation; its specific reference comes from the situation and is not determined by the form alone. sætter ... pris på is the idiomatic Danish construction sætte pris på, meaning “appreciate” or “value”. sætter is the present-tense form of sætte. The words are separated because Det is placed first, producing the order Det sætter jeg .... Example: Jeg sætter pris på din hjælp. means “I appreciate your help.” Jeg var means “I was”. var is the past form of være (“be”); Danish uses var with both singular and plural subjects in the past. Here it combines with begyndt to form jeg var begyndt, meaning “I had started”. allerede means “already”. It shows that something happened before the relevant reference point. Example: Hun var allerede gået. means “She had already left.” begyndt means “started” here. It is the past participle of begynde (“begin, start”). With var, it forms the pluperfect: var begyndt = “had started”. The participle itself does not mean “was”; that meaning comes from var. gøre is the infinitive of gøre, meaning “do” or “make”. In at gøre mig klar, it is used with the infinitive marker at. klar means “ready”; it is the adjective describing the state achieved. Together with reflexive mig (“myself”), gøre mig klar means “get myself ready”, naturally translated here as “get ready”. Example: Jeg skal gøre mig klar. means “I have to get ready.” Together, Det sætter jeg pris på means “I appreciate that”. Jeg var allerede begyndt at gøre mig klar means “I had already started getting ready”: var begyndt places the starting before a past reference point, and at gøre mig klar identifies the activity that had begun.

7. Lad mig gøre det godt igen ved at vælge en ny dato, der passer dig.

   Let me make it up to you by choosing another date that works for you.

   Lad mig

   let me

   gøre det godt igen

   make things right again

   ved at

   by; through

   vælge

   choose

   ny

   new

   dato

   date

   der

   that; which

   passer dig

   works for you

   More detail

   Lad mig uses the imperative lad (“let”) with the object pronoun mig (“me”). Together, this is the reusable pattern Lad mig + infinitive: “Let me …” The verb that follows is in the infinitive, as in gøre here. gøre det godt igen is an idiomatic expression meaning to make things right again or make amends. gøre is the infinitive of gøre (“do/make”); its meaning here is determined by the idiom, not by a literal “do” alone. The Danish wording does not contain a separate overt dig (“you”) in this expression, but the fixed translation identifies the intended meaning as making it up to you. ved at introduces the method or action by which something is done: ved at + infinitive means “by doing …” or “through doing …”. Here it connects the making-amends expression to the action that follows. The infinitive after it is vælge, “choose”. For example, Hun lærer ved at læse means “She learns by reading.” vælge is the infinitive “to choose”. Danish verbs generally do not change for person in the present tense: jeg vælger, du vælger, and de vælger all use vælger in the present, while vælge is the infinitive form. ny means “new” and here modifies dato. In en ny dato, ny is the common-gender singular form. The main forms are en ny dato, et nyt tidspunkt, and nye datoer (“a new date,” “a new time,” and “new dates”). In this context, “another” is a natural translation because the speaker is proposing a replacement date; the Danish adjective itself is the ordinary word for “new.” dato means “date,” here referring to a date for an arrangement or appointment. It is a common-gender noun, so it combines with en: en dato. Its plural is datoer (“dates”). der is a relative word introducing the clause that describes dato: en ny dato, der ... means “a new date that …” In this clause, der functions as the subject of passer and does not change form for gender or number. Danish also uses der in other grammatical roles, so its exact function comes from the clause it introduces. passer dig means “works for you” or “suits you.” passer is the present-tense form of passe, and dig is the object form of “you” for one person. In this use, the date is the thing that suits or works, while dig identifies the person whose availability or preferences matter. A reusable example is Tirsdag passer mig — “Tuesday works for me.” Putting the parts together: Lad mig (“Let me”) + gøre det godt igen (“make it right again”) + ved at vælge (“by choosing”) + en ny dato (“a new date”) + der passer dig (“that works for you”). The complete utterance therefore means: “Let me make it up to you by choosing another date that works for you.”

8. Vi kan finde en ny dato, men bekræft det venligst, når tingene er faldet mere til ro.

   We can reschedule, but please confirm once things are calmer.

   Vi kan

   we can

   finde

   find

   ny

   new

   dato

   date

   bekræft

   confirm

   det

   it

   venligst

   please

   tingene

   the things

   faldet … til ro

   settled down

   mere

   more

   More detail

   Vi kan introduces a possibility or ability involving “we”; in this sentence, it supports the proposal that the date can be changed. kan is followed by an infinitive without at. For example, Vi kan mødes i morgen means “We can meet tomorrow.” finde is the infinitive of finde, “to find.” After kan, it remains in the infinitive: kan finde, not a finite present-tense form. In finde en ny dato, the verb is used for finding or arranging a new date, which matches the translation’s “reschedule.” ny means “new” and describes dato. It is the common-gender singular form used with en dato; its forms include nyt with a neuter singular noun and nye in plural or definite contexts. For example, et nyt tidspunkt means “a new time.” dato means “date,” here a date for the planned event. It is a common-gender noun, as shown by en in the sentence. Its plural is datoer. bekræft is the imperative of bekræfte, “to confirm.” The imperative directly asks the listener to perform the action: Bekræft aftalen means “Confirm the agreement.” Here it asks for confirmation after the situation has become calmer. det is a neuter singular object pronoun meaning “it.” The fixed translation supports that general object meaning here, but the supplied texts do not uniquely specify a separate noun as its referent. The form marks neuter singular; it does not identify a person. venligst is a polite word meaning “please.” It softens the imperative without changing who is being asked to confirm. The combination bekræft det venligst is therefore a polite request rather than a statement. tingene is the definite plural of ting, “thing”: ting → tingene, “the things.” In this sentence, the plural is used broadly for the circumstances or matters involved, rather than for individually listed objects. The definite form marks these as the relevant things in the situation. faldet ... til ro is a discontinuous form of the expression falde til ro, “settle down” or “become calm.” faldet is the past participle of falde, and the auxiliary er before it forms the Danish perfect: er faldet, “has/have become.” The word mere occurs between the two selected spans. In tingene er faldet mere til ro, the things have become calmer; this is a change of state, not a literal fall. mere means “more” and is the comparative form associated with meget. In mere til ro, it contributes the idea of a greater degree of calm. It is not the plural form of ting; tingene is the noun phrase, while mere modifies the degree of the settling-down expression. The sentence first proposes Vi kan finde en ny dato—“We can find a new date.” men then contrasts that proposal with the request bekræft det venligst—“but please confirm it.” The time clause når tingene er faldet mere til ro means “once things are calmer”: når introduces the time condition, and er faldet mere til ro describes the circumstances having settled further. Together, the utterance means: “We can reschedule, but please confirm once things are calmer.”

9. Jeg skriver til dig, når jeg ved mere.

   I'll message you when I know more.

   Jeg

   I

   skriver

   write; message

   til dig

   to you

   når

   when

   ved

   know

   mere

   more

   More detail

   Jeg means “I” here: the speaker is the person who will write. Danish personal pronouns change form according to their grammatical role; jeg is the subject form, while mig is used in roles such as “me” after many prepositions. Example: Jeg ved det. — “I know it.” skriver is the present-tense form of skrive, “to write.” In this sentence, the fixed translation shows that writing is being used in the broader sense of sending a message. The same present form can describe an action happening now or a future action understood from the context. Example: Jeg skriver til dig i morgen. — “I’ll write to you tomorrow.” til dig means “to you.” til marks the recipient or direction, and dig is the object form of the second-person singular pronoun, corresponding to “you” in this role. The form dig is also used after other prepositions, unlike the subject form du. Example: Hun sender en besked til dig. — “She sends a message to you.” når introduces a time clause meaning “when.” It connects the main action with the time or condition at which that action is relevant. In the utterance, the når-clause comes after the main clause and tells when the writing will happen. Example: Jeg ringer, når jeg er hjemme. — “I’ll call when I’m home.” ved is the present-tense form of vide, “to know,” specifically knowledge of information or a fact. The form is irregular rather than being formed by simply adding a regular present-tense ending to the infinitive. Example: Jeg ved mere nu. — “I know more now.” mere means “more” here: the speaker will know additional information by that time. It is the comparative form associated with meget (“much” or “a lot”), and it can be used with an uncounted amount of information. Example: Vi har mere tid. — “We have more time.” Together, Jeg skriver til dig says “I’ll write/message you,” with til dig identifying the recipient. når jeg ved mere means “when I know more,” so the complete utterance is: “I’ll message you when I know more.”

10. Jeg ved, at ændringen i sidste øjeblik forstyrrede din aften.

    I know the late change disrupted your evening.

    Jeg

    I

    ved

    know

    ændringen

    the change

    i sidste øjeblik

    at the last moment

    forstyrrede

    disrupted

    din

    your

    aften

    evening

    More detail

    Jeg is the first-person singular pronoun meaning “I.” It identifies the speaker as the person who knows something. A useful contrast is du, meaning “you” for the person addressed. ved is the present-tense form of vide, “to know.” The reusable pattern jeg ved, at ... means “I know that ...”; at introduces what is known. Example: Jeg ved, hvor han bor. — “I know where he lives.” ændringen means “the change” here. Its base form is ændring, and -en marks this noun’s definite singular form: en ændring (“a change”) → ændringen (“the change”). The definite form presents the change as identifiable; it does not itself state a numeric count. i sidste øjeblik is a reusable expression meaning “at the last moment.” sidste means “last” and modifies øjeblik (“moment”). Together, the phrase describes the timing associated with the change or the disruption. Example: Hun kom i sidste øjeblik. — “She arrived at the last moment.” forstyrrede is the past-tense form of forstyrre, “to disrupt” or “to disturb.” Here it describes the disruption caused by ændringen. Danish verb forms such as forstyrrede do not mark masculine or feminine gender, and this past form does not change for the singular subject shown here. din means “your” when it determines a singular common-gender noun. It agrees with the noun it determines, not with the owner. Here it occurs in din aften, “your evening.” aften means “evening.” It is a common-gender noun: en aften means “an evening,” while aftenen means “the evening.” After the possessive din, the noun appears in its indefinite form: din aften. Together, Jeg ved, at ... means “I know that ...”. In the at-clause, ændringen is the subject, i sidste øjeblik gives the timing, forstyrrede expresses the past disruption, and din aften identifies the affected evening. The complete meaning is: “I know the late change disrupted your evening.”

11. Jeg håber, at alt er i orden med din familie.

    I hope everything is all right with your family.

    Jeg

    I

    håber

    hope

    alt

    everything

    er i orden

    is all right

    med

    with

    din

    your

    familie

    family

    More detail

    Jeg means “I” here: it is the first-person singular subject pronoun. The corresponding object form is mig, as in Hun ser mig (“She sees me”). håber means “hope” here. Its base form is håbe, and håber is the present-tense form. Danish verbs do not change form according to the subject’s person or number. Example: Vi håber means “We hope.” alt means “everything” here. It is the neuter singular form of al when used independently; alle is used for people or plural entities. The neuter form also affects a following adjective: Alt er klart means “Everything is ready.” er i orden is a reusable expression meaning “is all right” or “is in order.” er is the present form of være (“to be”), and i orden describes an acceptable or satisfactory state. Example: Det er i orden means “It is all right.” med means “with” here. It introduces what the condition concerns. Example: Hvad er der med bilen? means “What is wrong with the car?” din means “your” for one person being addressed. Here it has the form used with a singular common-gender noun. With a singular neuter noun, use dit, and with a plural noun, use dine: din bog (“your book”), dit hus (“your house”), dine bøger (“your books”). These forms mark the possessed noun’s number and gender; din does not by itself indicate informality. familie means “family.” Its base form is familie; the definite form is familien (“the family”), and the plural is familier (“families”). Here it follows din, giving “your family.” Together, Jeg håber gives “I hope,” at alt er i orden gives “that everything is all right,” and med din familie specifies what the condition concerns: “with your family.” The complete utterance therefore means “I hope everything is all right with your family.”