Moving an Outdoor Event Indoors | Learn Danish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Vejrudsigten siger, at den kraftige vind vil fortsætte under udendørsarrangementet.

   The forecast says strong winds will continue during the outdoor event.

   Vejrudsigten

   the forecast

   siger

   says

   kraftige

   strong

   vind

   wind

   vil

   will

   fortsætte

   continue

   under

   during

   udendørsarrangementet

   the outdoor event

   More detail

   Vejrudsigten means “the weather forecast.” It is the definite singular form of vejrudsigt (“weather forecast”): en vejrudsigt = “a weather forecast,” vejrudsigten = “the weather forecast.” The ending -en marks definiteness for this common-gender noun. siger means “says” here. It is the present-tense form of sige (“to say”): jeg siger = “I say,” han/hun siger = “he/she says.” In this sentence, the forecast is presented as the source of the information. kraftige means “strong” in den kraftige vind. The base form is kraftig; kraftige is the form used with a definite noun phrase such as den ... vind. The adjective describes the intensity of the wind, not its speed specifically. For example, en kraftig regn means “heavy rain,” while den kraftige regn means “the heavy rain.” vind means “wind.” It is the singular noun en vind; its definite form is vinden (“the wind”). Here it occurs after den kraftige, so the full noun phrase is “the strong wind.” vil is a modal auxiliary. With an infinitive, it presents the event as expected or projected to happen in the future: vil fortsætte = “will continue.” The form vil does not change for the subject’s person or number. Do not treat it as the lexical verb “continue”; that meaning comes from fortsætte. fortsætte means “to continue.” It is the infinitive form, used after the modal vil. Its base form is also written fortsætte; a present-tense example is vinden fortsætter = “the wind continues.” under means “during” when it introduces a time period or event. It connects the continuation with the event period in under udendørsarrangementet. udendørsarrangementet means “the outdoor event.” It is the definite singular form of et udendørsarrangement (“an outdoor event”): udendørsarrangementet = “the outdoor event.” The compound combines udendørs (“outdoor”) with arrangement (“event” or “arrangement”), and the final -et marks definiteness for this neuter noun. The sentence follows the pattern subject + siger, at + clause: Vejrudsigten siger (“The forecast says”) introduces the information, and den kraftige vind vil fortsætte states what is expected to happen. under udendørsarrangementet specifies when it will happen. Together, the utterance means: “The forecast says strong winds will continue during the outdoor event.”

2. Det kan blive et problem med telte og lydudstyr.

   That could be a problem with tents and sound equipment.

   Det

   that

   kan

   could

   blive

   become

   problem

   problem

   med

   with

   telte

   tents

   lydudstyr

   sound equipment

   More detail

   Det means “that/it” here as the clause’s subject. In this sentence, the translation supports a reference to the situation under discussion, but it does not identify a specific noun as the referent. Danish det is the neuter singular form; its exact role can depend on the construction and context. kan is the present-tense modal verb kunne, “can” or, in this context, “could.” Danish modal verbs are followed by an infinitive: kan blive = “can/could become.” kan does not change for person or number. blive is the infinitive “become” here. The pattern kan + infinitive is reusable: Det kan ske means “That could happen.” blive can have other meanings in Danish, including “stay/remain,” but “become” is the meaning supported here by the following noun phrase. problem is a noun meaning “problem.” The full noun phrase is et problem; et is the indefinite article used with this neuter noun, not a statement of a numerical count. The indefinite form is et problem, while the plural is problemer (“problems”). med is a preposition meaning “with.” It introduces the things associated with the problem: et problem med ... is a reusable pattern meaning “a problem with ...”. telte is the indefinite plural of telt, “tent”: et telt = “a tent,” telte = “tents.” The plural form is used because the sentence refers to tents generally, without marking them as a specific known set. lydudstyr means “sound equipment.” It is a compound noun referring to equipment used for sound. Danish commonly writes such compounds as one word. Unlike the countable noun telt, udstyr is generally treated as equipment as a mass noun, so this form does not mark a plural set of individual pieces. Together, Det kan blive expresses the possibility of something becoming a certain condition, and et problem med telte og lydudstyr identifies that condition as a problem involving tents and sound equipment. The whole utterance therefore means: “That could be a problem with tents and sound equipment.”

3. Vi kan sikre bordene, men det kan være farligt at sætte banneret op.

   We can secure the tables, but putting up the banner might be dangerous.

   Vi kan

   we can

   sikre

   secure

   bordene

   the tables

   det kan være

   it may be

   farligt

   dangerous

   banneret

   the banner

   sætte … op

   put up

   More detail

   Vi kan is a reusable “we can” pattern: vi is the first-person plural pronoun, and kan is the present form of the modal verb kunne. After a Danish modal such as kan, the next verb normally appears without at: Vi kan sikre means “We can secure.” Here kan expresses ability or practical possibility, as in the fixed translation. sikre means “secure” here, in the sense of making the tables stable or safe. It is the infinitive/base form after kan. Example: De sikrer døren. — “They secure the door.” bordene means “the tables.” Its base noun is bord (“table”); -ene marks definite plural, so bordene refers to tables identified in the situation. This ending expresses both plural and definiteness; it does not by itself state a particular number. det kan være is a useful pattern meaning “it may be” or “it can be.” In this sentence, det is the grammatical subject of the impersonal construction, while the later at-clause explains what is being evaluated. The modal kan is followed by the infinitive være without at: Det kan være svært. — “It may be difficult.” farligt means “dangerous” here. The adjective’s base form is farlig; farligt is its neuter singular form, agreeing with the neuter singular det in this predicative construction. A contrasting form is farlige for plural or definite contexts, as in farlige forhold — “dangerous conditions.” banneret means “the banner.” The base noun is banner, used here with the neuter indefinite article et; its definite singular form is banneret. The ending -et marks definiteness in this noun, not a separate word. at sætte ... op is the infinitive pattern “to put up” or “to set up.” sætte is the verb and op is a particle; the object can occur between them, as in at sætte banneret op. Example: Vi sætter et skilt op. — “We put up a sign.” Together, Vi kan sikre bordene says “We can secure the tables.” The contrast marker men means “but.” Then det kan være farligt says that it may be dangerous, and at sætte banneret op identifies the activity being evaluated: putting up the banner. The complete meaning is therefore “We can secure the tables, but putting up the banner might be dangerous.”

4. Sikkerhed er vigtigere end at beholde den oprindelige opsætning.

   Safety matters more than keeping the original setup.

   Sikkerhed

   safety

   vigtigere

   more important

   at beholde

   to keep

   oprindelige

   original

   opsætning

   setup

   More detail

   Sikkerhed means safety here. It is a common-gender noun: en sikkerhed is an indefinite form, while sikkerheden is the definite form “the safety.” In this sentence it is the subject of er (“is/matters”), not the person carrying out an action. vigtigere is the comparative form of vigtig (“important”): vigtig → vigtigere (“more important”) → vigtigst (“most important”). Danish commonly uses X er vigtigere end Y for “X is more important than Y.” Here, vigtigere compares safety with the activity expressed by the following infinitive phrase. at beholde means “to keep” or “to retain.” at marks the infinitive, and beholde is the infinitive form; for example, Vi vil beholde planen means “We want to keep the plan.” The form beholder is the present tense: “keep(s)/retain(s).” oprindelige means original in this noun phrase. Its base form is oprindelig; oprindelige is the attributive form used with a definite noun phrase such as den oprindelige opsætning. The adjective does not mean “first” in every context; here it identifies the setup that was original rather than a replacement. opsætning means setup or arrangement. It is a common-gender noun: en opsætning is “a setup,” and opsætningen is “the setup.” In the sentence, den and oprindelige together specify this definite noun phrase: den oprindelige opsætning means “the original setup.” Together, Sikkerhed er vigtigere end at beholde den oprindelige opsætning means “Safety matters more than keeping the original setup.” The pattern X er vigtigere end at + infinitive is reusable when comparing the importance of X with an action, for example: Hvile er vigtigere end at arbejde videre — “Rest is more important than continuing to work.”

5. Skal vi aflyse eller flytte det hele til forsamlingshuset?

   Should we cancel, or move everything to the community hall?

   Skal vi

   should we

   aflyse

   cancel

   flytte

   move

   det hele

   everything

   forsamlingshuset

   the community hall

   More detail

   Skal vi combines the modal verb skal with vi (“we”). Here skal asks about a proposed action, so the pattern Skal vi + infinitive? means “Should we ...?” or “Shall we ...?” The infinitive follows this modal without at: Skal vi aflyse? — “Should we cancel?” aflyse is the infinitive “to cancel,” used here for cancelling the relevant planned activity or arrangement. Its present-tense form is aflyser: Vi aflyser mødet. — “We are cancelling the meeting.” flytte is the infinitive “to move,” here meaning to relocate the relevant thing or arrangement. It is coordinated with aflyse after eller, so the subject remains vi: Vi flytter mødet. — “We move/are moving the meeting.” The same infinitive is used after a modal: Vi skal flytte mødet. — “We have to move the meeting.” det hele is the expression “everything” or “all of it.” In this sentence it is the object of flytte, so the proposed relocation concerns everything. hele expresses totality in this expression. Example: Det hele er klart. — “Everything is ready.” forsamlingshuset means “the community hall.” It is the definite singular form of the compound noun forsamlingshus (“community hall”): forsamlingshus → forsamlingshuset. The ending -et marks the definite singular form of this neuter noun. After til, the phrase indicates the destination: Vi flytter mødet til forsamlingshuset. — “We move the meeting to the community hall.” Together, Skal vi aflyse eller flytte det hele til forsamlingshuset? asks whether the speakers should cancel, or instead move everything to the community hall. In the fixed translation, “everything” belongs to the moving option; the sentence does not specify an object for aflyse. The alternatives are aflyse and flytte det hele til forsamlingshuset, with vi as the shared subject. This is a reusable way to propose two possible actions in a question.

6. Det er bedre at flytte indenfor, hvis forsamlingshuset er ledigt.

   Moving indoors is better if the hall is available.

   Det er

   it is

   bedre

   better

   flytte

   move

   indenfor

   indoors

   hvis

   if

   forsamlingshuset

   the community hall

   ledigt

   available

   More detail

   Det er is a common Danish evaluative frame meaning “it is” or, more naturally here, “it is [better] to …”. The det is an anticipatory subject: the action expressed by at flytte indenfor is what is being evaluated. In Danish, det er + adjective + at is useful for statements such as Det er nemt at lære (“It is easy to learn”). bedre means “better” here. It is the comparative form of god (“good”): god → bedre → bedst (“best”). The form bedre compares this option with another option; the sentence does not specify every detail of that comparison. flytte means “move” or “relocate”. It is an infinitive after at, so at flytte means “to move”. This verb can describe moving a person or object, or changing an activity’s location, as it does here. Example: Vi flytter mødet — “We are moving the meeting.” indenfor means “indoors” or “inside”. It is an adverb describing the destination or location of the move. The expression flytte indenfor therefore means “move indoors”; indenfor is not part of the verb’s inflection. hvis introduces a condition and means “if”. The clause beginning with hvis states the condition under which the indoor move is considered better. A reusable pattern is hvis + clause, as in Vi går ind, hvis det regner — “We will go inside if it rains.” forsamlingshuset means “the community hall” in this sentence. It is a definite singular noun: the compound noun is forsamlingshus, and the ending -et marks the definite form of this neuter noun. Danish compounds are written as one word, so this form should not be treated as an ordinary adjective plus a separate noun. ledigt means “available” here, specifically available for use. It is the neuter singular form of ledig, agreeing with the neuter singular noun forsamlingshuset in the clause. The forms are ledig with a common-gender singular noun, ledigt with a neuter singular noun, and ledige in plural or definite-noun contexts. Example: Lokalet er ledigt — “The room is available.” Together, Det er bedre at flytte indenfor says “Moving indoors is better,” and hvis forsamlingshuset er ledigt adds the condition “if the community hall is available.” The complete utterance therefore means: “Moving indoors is better if the hall is available.”

7. Jeg kan ringe til arrangøren og spørge om muligheden for at flytte det indenfor.

   I can call the organizer and ask about the indoor option.

   Jeg kan

   I can

   ringe til

   call

   arrangøren

   the organizer

   spørge

   ask

   muligheden

   the option

   flytte

   move

   det

   it

   indenfor

   indoors

   More detail

   Jeg kan combines the first-person pronoun jeg (“I”) with kan, the present-tense form of kunne (“can; be able to”). In this sentence, kan expresses ability or possibility. Danish normally places an infinitive after kan, as in Jeg kan hjælpe (“I can help”). ringe til means “call someone.” The preposition til is part of the useful pattern for directing the call to a person: ringe til + person. The verb ringe is an infinitive here because it follows kan. arrangøren means “the organizer.” It is the definite singular form of arrangør: en arrangør (“an organizer”) → arrangøren (“the organizer”). The ending -en marks common-gender definite singular in this noun; it is not an extra word meaning “the.” spørge means “ask.” It is another infinitive coordinated with ringe under the same modal kan: kan ringe ... og spørge means “can call ... and ask.” A useful pattern is spørge om + topic, meaning “ask about a topic.” muligheden means “the option” here. It is the definite singular form of mulighed (“option; possibility”): en mulighed → muligheden. In this context, the option is the possibility of moving indoors, rather than a general list of unrelated possibilities. flytte means “move” or “relocate.” It is an infinitive after for at; the pattern for at + infinitive expresses purpose, roughly “in order to.” Here it introduces what the option concerns: moving something indoors. det is a neuter singular pronoun meaning “it” in this use. Its exact noun referent is not named in the sentence, but the fixed translation and context support an understood thing or arrangement that can be moved. The pronoun itself does not identify that referent by gendered personal identity; it supplies a neuter singular object for flytte. indenfor means “indoors” or “inside.” It specifies the destination or location of the move. In the supplied context, it connects with the idea of moving an activity or arrangement inside when the hall is available. Together, Jeg kan ringe til arrangøren means “I can call the organizer,” and og spørge om muligheden for at flytte det indenfor adds “and ask about the option of moving it indoors.” The whole utterance therefore means: “I can call the organizer and ask about the indoor option.”

8. Fortæl også deltagerne det, før de tager af sted.

   Tell participants before they start traveling, too.

   Fortæl

   tell

   også

   also; too

   deltagerne

   the participants

   det

   it; that

   før

   before

   de

   they

   tager af sted

   leave; depart

   More detail

   Fortæl is the imperative of fortælle (“to tell”). It gives a direct instruction to one or more listeners; the subject “you” is normally understood rather than stated. For example, Fortæl sandheden. means “Tell the truth.” også adds this instruction or information to something else: “also” or “too.” Its position here places it after the imperative verb, while its exact scope is understood from context. deltagerne means “the participants.” The base noun is deltager (“participant”); deltagerne is its definite plural form, meaning “the participants.” Danish commonly marks this form with the ending -ne. det is a neuter singular pronoun meaning “it” or “that.” Here it is the object of Fortæl; the supplied translation does not identify the object more specifically, so its exact referent should remain understood from the surrounding situation. A reusable example is Jeg husker det. — “I remember it.” før introduces a time clause meaning “before.” It connects the instruction with the event that must occur later: før ... means “before ...”. For example, Ring, før du går. means “Call before you leave.” de is a third-person plural subject pronoun, “they.” In this sentence, the translation identifies the participants as the people who leave, so de refers to them. Danish de is used for a plural subject; it does not itself mark the participants’ gender. tager af sted is a separable-looking verbal construction meaning “leave,” “depart,” or “set off.” The verb is tager, the present-tense form of tage (“to take”); in this construction, tage af sted means “to leave,” not literally “to take.” With the plural subject de, the sentence has de tager af sted (“they leave”); Danish present-tense tager does not change for this person or number. For example, Vi tager af sted nu. means “We are leaving now.” Together, Fortæl ... det gives the instruction “Tell ... it/that,” også adds the meaning “too,” and før de tager af sted sets the time: the telling should happen before the participants leave. The whole utterance therefore means “Tell the participants it too, before they leave,” matching the supplied translation’s “Tell participants before they start traveling, too.”

9. Ændringer i sidste øjeblik er frustrerende, men farlige forhold er værre.

   Late changes are frustrating, but dangerous conditions are worse.

   Ændringer

   changes

   i sidste øjeblik

   at the last minute

   frustrerende

   frustrating

   men

   but

   farlige

   dangerous

   forhold

   conditions

   værre

   worse

   More detail

   Ændringer means “changes” here. Its base form is ændring (“change”); ændringer is the indefinite plural. Danish commonly forms this plural with -er, while the definite plural would be ændringerne (“the changes”). i sidste øjeblik is a reusable time expression meaning that something happens at the last possible moment. sidste is the form used in this fixed expression before øjeblik; the phrase is conventionally used as a whole. Example: Vi kom i sidste øjeblik. — “We arrived at the last minute.” frustrerende describes something that causes frustration. It is related to frustrere (“frustrate”) and ends in -ende; in this use it does not take the ordinary adjective endings for gender or number. Example: Det er frustrerende. — “That is frustrating.” men connects two contrasting statements and corresponds to “but.” It does not itself indicate which statement is stronger; that contrast is supplied by the surrounding words. farlige means “dangerous” here. Its base form is farlig. Danish adjectives commonly use -e with plural nouns and with definite noun phrases, while the singular indefinite forms are farlig with common-gender nouns and farligt with neuter nouns. In this sentence, farlige agrees with plural forhold. forhold means “conditions” in this sentence. The noun has the same visible form in singular and plural, so the plural reading here is shown by the context and by the adjective farlige, rather than by a changed noun ending. In other contexts, forhold can refer to circumstances or relationships; those are different uses of the same noun. værre is the comparative form meaning “worse.” Its comparison chain is dårlig (“bad”), værre (“worse”), værst (“worst”). A comparative normally compares the described situation with another situation, even when the comparison standard is understood rather than stated. Together, the first part presents last-minute changes as frustrating. men then contrasts that assessment with the second part: dangerous conditions are presented as worse, expressed by the comparative værre. The full utterance therefore gives the meaning “Late changes are frustrating, but dangerous conditions are worse.”

10. Tydelig kommunikation er vigtig, når vejret ændrer planen.

    Clear communication matters when weather changes the plan.

    Tydelig

    clear

    kommunikation

    communication

    er

    is

    vigtig

    important

    når

    when

    vejret

    the weather

    ændrer

    changes

    planen

    the plan

    More detail

    Tydelig means “clear” here and is an adjective describing kommunikation. Its base form is tydelig; the form does not show a separate masculine/feminine distinction in this sentence. A useful related form is the comparative tydeligere, “clearer.” Example: En tydelig besked hjælper. — “A clear message helps.” kommunikation is the noun “communication.” Danish nouns can be made definite with an ending rather than a separate word; for this common gender noun, kommunikation is indefinite and kommunikationen is definite, “the communication.” er is the present-tense form of at være, “to be.” It links the subject kommunikation with the description vigtig. Example: Planen er klar. — “The plan is clear.” vigtig means “important” here. It is the adjective describing kommunikation. Its base form is vigtig; the comparative is vigtigere, “more important,” and the superlative is vigtigst, “most important.” Example: Det er vigtigt. — “It is important.” In that example, vigtigt is the form used with the neuter pronoun det; the form in the fixed sentence is vigtig. når introduces a time clause meaning “when.” It connects the main statement with an event or condition that occurs at that time. Example: Jeg arbejder, når vejret er godt. — “I work when the weather is good.” vejret means “the weather.” It is the definite form of vejr, “weather”: vejr → vejret. The definite ending is part of the noun form, not a separate article. ændrer means “changes” here. It is the present-tense form of at ændre, “to change.” In the fixed sentence, vejret is the subject and planen is what is changed. Example: Tiden ændrer planen. — “Time changes the plan.” planen means “the plan.” It is the definite form of plan: plan → planen. This noun is the object of ændrer, so the weather changes the plan. Together, Tydelig kommunikation er vigtig says “Clear communication is important.” The subordinate clause når vejret ændrer planen adds the time or situation “when the weather changes the plan.” The complete utterance therefore means “Clear communication matters when weather changes the plan.”