Preparing for a Clinic Visit | Learn Danish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Jeg har en tid på klinikken.

   I have a clinic appointment.

   Jeg

   I

   har

   have

   en tid

   an appointment

   på

   at

   klinikken

   the clinic

   More detail

   Jeg means “I” here, the first-person singular subject. Danish uses jeg for one speaker; it does not change according to the speaker’s gender. Example: Jeg er klar. — “I am ready.” har is the present-tense form of have, “to have.” With jeg, the present form is still har: jeg har means “I have.” Example: Jeg har en bog. — “I have a book.” In this sentence, har introduces the thing the speaker has: an appointment. en tid is a common Danish expression for an appointment or scheduled time. The noun tid by itself can also mean “time,” but the combination en tid in this context has the appointment meaning. en is an indefinite article presenting an unspecified appointment; it does not by itself assert a numerical count. Example: Jeg bestiller en tid. — “I book an appointment.” på is the preposition used here to locate the appointment at the clinic. Danish prepositions do not always correspond word for word to English prepositions, so learn the reusable combination en tid på ... for an appointment at a place. Example: Hun har en tid på hospitalet. — “She has an appointment at the hospital.” klinikken means “the clinic.” It is the definite singular form of klinik: the ending -en marks the common-gender definite form, klinikken. Example: Klinikken åbner klokken otte. — “The clinic opens at eight.” Together, Jeg har en tid på klinikken means “I have a clinic appointment.” The subject Jeg is followed by the present-tense verb har, then the appointment expression en tid, and finally its location, på klinikken. The following context uses Men (“but”) to connect this statement with uncertainty about what to do first, but that uncertainty is not part of this sentence.

2. Men jeg er ikke sikker på, hvad jeg skal gøre først.

   But I am not sure what to do first.

   Men

   But

   jeg er

   I am

   ikke sikker

   not sure

   hvad

   what

   skal

   should / am to

   gøre

   do

   først

   first

   More detail

   Men means “but” here and links this sentence to the preceding situation. It marks a contrast: the speaker has an appointment, but lacks certainty about the next action. jeg er contains the subject pronoun jeg (“I”) and the present form er of være (“to be”). er is used with jeg in the present; the same form also occurs with other singular and plural subjects in the present, so it is useful to learn være – er as the base/current-form pair. ikke sikker says that the speaker is not certain. ikke is the usual negation, placed before the adjective phrase here. sikker means “sure” or “certain”; its opposite is usikker (“uncertain”). The adjective describes the speaker’s state, not the appointment itself. hvad means “what” and introduces the embedded question. In this sentence it asks which action is intended, rather than asking for a person; compare hvem (“who”) for a person and hvor (“where”) for a place. skal is the present form of the modal verb skulle. In this embedded question, it expresses what the speaker is to do or should do. A useful pattern is skal + infinitive: Jeg skal ringe. — “I am to call” or “I should call.” The exact force comes from context; here the fixed translation supports “what to do.” gøre is the infinitive “to do.” After the modal skal, Danish uses the infinitive without an infinitive marker: skal gøre, not a finite form of the verb. The form gøre has the irregular present gør: Jeg gør det. — “I do it.” først means “first,” indicating the earliest action in an order. It modifies the action expressed by gøre in this sentence. For example, Læs først. means “Read first.” Together, hvad jeg skal gøre først is an embedded question meaning “what I am to do first” or, naturally here, “what to do first.” The word order is not the ordinary standalone-question order: the subject jeg comes before the modal skal inside this embedded clause. The full sentence therefore means: “But I am not sure what to do first.”

3. Start i receptionen, og vis dem dit sundhedskort.

   Start at reception and show them your insurance card.

   Start

   Start; begin

   receptionen

   the reception desk

   vis

   show

   dem

   them

   dit

   your

   sundhedskort

   insurance card

   More detail

   Start is the imperative of starte (“to start”): it gives a direct instruction to begin. Danish imperatives commonly use this short verb form. For example, Start her. means “Start here.” receptionen means “the reception desk/area.” It is the definite singular form of reception; the ending -en marks the definite form of this common-gender noun. The definite form is used for the particular reception relevant in the situation. For example, Jeg venter ved receptionen. means “I am waiting at the reception desk.” vis is the imperative of vise (“to show”). It gives the second direct instruction. For example, Vis mig dit pas. means “Show me your passport.” dem is the object form meaning “them.” Here it is the recipient of the showing, but the supplied texts do not identify exactly who these people are. Danish uses dem for a plural third-person object, while de is the corresponding subject form: De kommer means “They are coming,” but Jeg ser dem means “I see them.” dit means “your” before a singular neuter noun. It agrees with the following noun, not with the person who owns the item. The related forms are din before a singular common-gender noun, dit before a singular neuter noun, and dine before plural nouns. For example, dit kort means “your card,” while din taske means “your bag.” sundhedskort is a compound noun meaning “health card”; in this context, the fixed translation identifies it as an insurance card. Its parts are sundhed (“health”) and kort (“card”), but the compound is the normal unit for the card meant here. The indefinite form is et sundhedskort, and the definite form is sundhedskortet. Together, Start i receptionen means “Start at the reception,” and vis dem dit sundhedskort means “show them your insurance card.” The two imperative clauses are joined by og (“and”), so the whole utterance instructs the listener to begin at reception and then show the people referred to as dem their insurance card. i receptionen uses i (“at/in”) with the definite noun receptionen.

4. Skal jeg udfylde en formular, før jeg kommer ind til sygeplejersken?

   Will I need to fill out a form before I see the nurse?

   Skal jeg

   will I need to

   udfylde

   fill out

   formular

   form

   før

   before

   kommer ind

   come in

   sygeplejersken

   the nurse

   More detail

   Skal jeg is a compact question pattern: skal is the present form of skulle, and jeg means “I.” In this sentence, skal expresses expected necessity, so the combination means “will I need to…?” In a Danish yes/no question, the verb comes before the subject: Skal jeg udfylde...? Compare the statement order Jeg skal udfylde... (“I need to fill out...” or, in another context, “I am going to fill out...”); the surrounding question and fixed translation establish the necessity reading here. udfylde means “fill out.” It is the infinitive form, used after the modal skal. The same verb can be used with other documents: Jeg skal udfylde ansøgningen. — “I need to fill out the application.” formular is “form.” The indefinite article en before it marks this as an unspecified form; it does not by itself state a numerical count. Danish commonly uses en with common-gender nouns, while the definite form here would be formularen (“the form”). før introduces a time relation and means “before.” It can be followed by a clause with its own subject and verb, as here: før jeg kommer ind — “before I come in.” Example: Ring, før du går. — “Call before you leave.” kommer ind combines kommer, the present form of komme (“come”), with ind, which gives the movement an inward direction. Together they mean “come in” in this sentence. Danish present forms can describe a future event when the context makes the timing clear; here the visit is the event that will happen after the form question. The words til sygeplejersken specify coming in to the nurse. sygeplejersken means “the nurse.” Its indefinite form is en sygeplejerske, and the definite singular form adds the definite ending: sygeplejersken. The form identifies a singular, definite nurse, without adding information about the nurse’s gender. Putting the parts together, Skal jeg udfylde en formular asks whether filling out an unspecified form is necessary. før jeg kommer ind til sygeplejersken places that action before the speaker comes in to see the nurse. The complete meaning is: “Will I need to fill out a form before I see the nurse?”

5. Sandsynligvis, især hvis det er dit første besøg.

   Probably, especially if this is your first visit.

   Sandsynligvis

   probably

   især

   especially

   hvis

   if

   det er

   it is

   dit

   your

   første

   first

   besøg

   visit

   More detail

   Sandsynligvis is an adverb meaning “probably.” It expresses uncertainty rather than certainty. Example: Han kommer sandsynligvis. — “He will probably come.” især means “especially” and highlights one condition or case as particularly relevant. It can modify a phrase or clause: Jeg kan især lide te. — “I especially like tea.” hvis introduces a condition and means “if.” The clause beginning with it states the condition for the main statement: Hvis det regner, bliver jeg hjemme. — “If it rains, I will stay home.” det er contains det, the neuter singular third-person pronoun, and er, the present form of være (“to be”). Here det corresponds to “this/it” in the fixed translation and refers to the situation being discussed, while er links it to the description that follows. Er is used with all subjects in the present tense; for example, Jeg er klar. — “I am ready.” dit is the possessive form meaning “your” before a neuter singular noun. It agrees with the possessed noun, not with the person who owns it. Compare dit besøg (“your visit,” neuter) with din formular (“your form,” common gender). It does not itself assert a number of owners or visits. første is the ordinal adjective “first,” the form used for the first item in an order. Danish ordinal adjectives can show agreement in some forms, but første has the same form here with the neuter singular noun besøg. Compare første besøg (“first visit”) and første dag (“first day”). besøg is a noun meaning “visit.” Its base form is besøg; the same form can also occur as a plural in contexts that mark plurality elsewhere. Here dit and første identify it as one particular first visit in the intended meaning. Example: Besøget var kort. — “The visit was brief.” Together, Sandsynligvis gives the probability, and især hvis det er dit første besøg adds the especially relevant condition: “especially if this is your first visit.” The complete utterance therefore means “Probably, especially if this is your first visit.”

6. Skal jeg så vente i det store venteværelse?

   Should I wait in the main waiting room after that?

   Skal jeg

   Should I

   så

   then; after that

   vente

   wait

   i

   in

   det

   the (neuter)

   store

   large; main

   venteværelse

   waiting room

   More detail

   Skal jeg is a reusable Danish question pattern: skal is the present form of skulle, followed by jeg (“I”). In this sentence, skal jeg ...? asks whether the speaker should or is expected to do something. Danish places the finite verb before the subject in this question pattern. Example: Skal jeg komme nu? — “Should I come now?” så means “then” or “after that” here. It links the question to the situation already established: after the earlier step or event, should the speaker wait? Its exact placement can vary in other sentences. vente means “to wait.” It is the infinitive after skal; the modal form carries the finite tense, while vente remains unchanged. Example: Jeg skal vente her. — “I have to wait here.” i means “in” in this location phrase. The pattern i + a place noun is useful for describing where someone waits, stays, or acts: vente i rummet — “wait in the room.” det is the neuter form used before a singular definite noun when an adjective comes before that noun. Here it contributes “the” and agrees with neuter venteværelse; it is not a separate claim about quantity. The adjective phrase is det store venteværelse. store means “large” here and modifies venteværelse. Its base form is stor; in the definite phrase det store ..., the adjective takes the form store. Compare et stort venteværelse — “a large waiting room” — with det store venteværelse — “the large waiting room.” In the fixed translation, “main” conveys the intended role of this waiting room; the observed adjective itself is store, “large.” venteværelse means “waiting room.” It is a compound noun built from the verb-related compound element vente- and værelse (“room”); vente- is not the standalone English noun “waiting.” The whole compound names the room. Danish uses the neuter indefinite article et: et venteværelse; its definite form is venteværelset. Together, Skal jeg så vente asks whether the speaker should wait after that, and i det store venteværelse specifies the location. The complete meaning is: “Should I wait in the main waiting room after that?”

7. Bliv der, medmindre receptionen sender dig et andet sted hen.

   Stay there unless reception sends you somewhere else.

   Bliv

   stay

   der

   there

   medmindre

   unless

   receptionen

   the reception desk

   sender

   sends

   dig

   you

   andet

   another; different

   sted

   place

   hen

   away; to another place

   More detail

   Bliv is the imperative of blive (“to stay; to become”). Here it is the command “stay.” Danish imperatives commonly use this short verb form: Bliv her. means “Stay here.” Der means “there,” pointing to a place understood from the situation. Together, Bliv der means “Stay there.” Medmindre introduces an exception and means “unless.” It connects the instruction with the condition that would cancel or change it: Jeg går ikke, medmindre du kommer. means “I am not leaving unless you come.” Receptionen means “the reception desk” or “reception.” It is the definite singular form of reception: reception is “a reception desk/reception,” while receptionen refers to “the reception desk/reception.” The ending -en marks definite singular for this common-gender noun. Sender is the present-tense form of sende, “to send.” The subject here is receptionen, so the clause means that the reception desk/reception sends someone. Sende can also be used for sending a message or an object, but here it describes directing a person to another place. Dig is the object form of “you.” Danish uses du as the subject form and dig as the object form: Du ser dig literally has “you” as subject and object, though the exact meaning depends on the verb and context. In this sentence, dig is the person being sent. Andet means “another” or “different” here. It is the neuter singular form of the adjective anden, because it modifies sted, which is a neuter noun: et andet sted means “another place” or “a different place.” The form changes with the noun: en anden dag means “another day,” while et andet sted uses andet. Sted means “place.” In the phrase et andet sted, it is the destination being contrasted with the place where the person is currently staying. Et sted means “a place,” and stedet means “the place.” Hen is a directional particle meaning “away” or “to another place.” With a movement verb such as sende, sende nogen hen means “send someone over/to another place.” It adds direction rather than naming the destination itself. The meaningful structure is Bliv der (“Stay there”) + medmindre (“unless”) + receptionen sender dig (“the reception sends you”) + et andet sted hen (“to another place”). Thus the whole utterance means: “Stay there unless reception sends you somewhere else.” The imperative gives the main instruction, and the medmindre clause states the exception.

8. Jeg bliver nervøs, når jeg ikke kender proceduren.

   I feel nervous when I do not know the procedure.

   Jeg

   I

   bliver

   become; get

   nervøs

   nervous

   når

   when

   ikke

   not

   kender

   know; be familiar with

   proceduren

   the procedure

   More detail

   Jeg means “I” and is the first-person singular subject. It identifies the speaker as the person who becomes nervous and does not know the procedure. The corresponding object form is mig (“me”), as in the example: Personalet hjælper mig. — “The staff help me.” bliver is the present-tense form of blive, “become” or “get.” Here it describes a change into a state: bliver nervøs = “become/get nervous.” Danish uses blive with a descriptive word for this kind of change; er nervøs would instead describe being nervous, without focusing on becoming so. Example: Hun bliver træt. — “She gets tired.” nervøs is the adjective “nervous.” In this sentence it describes the speaker’s resulting state. With a plural subject or with de, the adjective is still nervøse: De bliver nervøse. — “They get nervous.” når introduces a time condition and means “when.” It links the main clause to the situation in which it occurs. A reusable pattern is Jeg bliver [adjective], når ... — “I get [adjective] when ...” Example: Jeg bliver glad, når du kommer. — “I get happy when you come.” ikke is the negation word “not.” In the subordinate clause here, it comes before the finite verb: når jeg ikke kender ... — “when I do not know ...” This position differs from the usual placement in a simple main clause, such as Jeg kender ikke proceduren. — “I do not know the procedure.” kender is the present-tense form of kende, meaning “know” in the sense of being familiar with or knowing a person, place, or thing. It is not the form of vide, which is commonly used for knowing a fact or piece of information. Example: Jeg kender stedet. — “I know the place.” proceduren means “the procedure.” It is the definite singular form of the noun procedure: en procedure = “a procedure,” proceduren = “the procedure.” The ending belongs to the noun, not to an adjective. The sentence therefore refers to a particular procedure understood in the situation, without stating how many procedures there are. Together, Jeg bliver nervøs says “I get nervous,” and når jeg ikke kender proceduren says “when I do not know the procedure.” The complete utterance is: “I feel nervous when I do not know the procedure.” The pattern can be reused with another state or condition: Jeg bliver [state], når jeg ikke [verb] ....

9. Det er normalt. Du kan bede personalet om at forklare hvert trin.

   That is normal. You can ask the staff to explain each step.

   Det er

   That is

   normalt

   normal

   Du kan

   you can

   bede

   ask

   personalet

   the staff

   forklare

   explain

   hvert

   each

   trin

   step

   More detail

   Det er combines det, “that/it,” with er, the present-tense form of være (“to be”). Here the fixed translation identifies det as “that,” referring to the situation being discussed. Er is used with all subjects in the present; for example, Det er vigtigt means “That is important.” normalt means “normal” here. The adjective is in its neuter singular form because it describes det, which is neuter in this construction. The useful forms are normal for common-gender singular, normalt for neuter singular, and normale in plural or definite contexts. Thus, Det er normalt means “That is normal.” Du kan means “you can.” Du is the second-person singular pronoun. Kan is the present-tense form of kunne (“can/be able to”); this modal form does not change for person or number. A modal is followed by an infinitive without at, as in Du kan vente (“You can wait”). bede means “ask” or “request.” It is the infinitive after the modal kan; the base form is also bede. A useful pattern is bede nogen om at gøre noget, “ask someone to do something.” In this sentence, om at forklare supplies what is being requested. personalet means “the staff.” It is the definite form of the neuter noun personale: et personale means “a staff,” while personalet means “the staff.” The definite ending is part of the noun form, not a separate word. In the pattern bede personalet om at ..., the staff is the group being asked. forklare means “explain.” It is an infinitive after om at, in the pattern om at forklare ..., “to explain ...”. The base form is forklare; unlike the modal pattern, this infinitive is introduced by at because it follows the preposition-like construction om at. hvert means “each/every” for a neuter singular noun. It agrees with trin, because trin is a neuter noun: et trin. The corresponding common-gender form is hver, as in hver dag (“each day”); hvert is not a plural form. trin means “step.” In hvert trin, it is singular, meaning “each step.” The noun has the same form for indefinite singular and plural in many contexts: et trin (“a step”), flere trin (“several steps”); the definite forms are trinnet and trinene. Together, Du kan bede personalet om at forklare hvert trin means “You can ask the staff to explain each step.” The first sentence says that the situation is normal; the second gives the reusable structure Du kan bede [someone] om at [verb] [something], meaning “You can ask [someone] to [verb] [something].”

10. Jeg kommer tidligt, så jeg har tid nok til papirarbejdet.

    I will arrive early so I have enough time for the paperwork.

    kommer

    arrive

    tidligt

    early

    så

    so

    har

    have

    tid

    time

    nok

    enough

    til

    for

    papirarbejdet

    the paperwork

    More detail

    kommer is the present-tense form of komme, “to come” or “to arrive.” Here, the context makes it refer to a future arrival; Danish commonly uses the present tense for a planned or expected future event when the time is clear. Example: Jeg kommer i morgen. — “I’m coming tomorrow.” tidligt means “early” and describes when the arrival happens. It is the adverbial form related to tidlig, “early.” Example: Hun står tidligt op. — “She gets up early.” så is a connector meaning “so” here. It links arriving early with having enough time afterward; the exact relationship is supplied by the surrounding clause. Example: Jeg skynder mig, så jeg ikke kommer for sent. — “I hurry so that I do not arrive too late.” har is the present-tense form of have, “to have.” With jeg, Danish uses har; this verb form does not change for the subject in the present tense. Example: Jeg har tid. — “I have time.” tid means “time.” Here it means available time rather than a clock time. Example: Vi har lidt tid. — “We have a little time.” nok means “enough” here and follows tid in the reusable pattern have enough time. It says that the available amount meets the need. Example: Har du penge nok? — “Do you have enough money?” til is a preposition meaning “for” in tid til ...; it introduces what the time is available for. Example: Jeg har tid til at læse. — “I have time to read.” papirarbejdet means “the paperwork.” It is the definite singular form of papirarbejde, “paperwork”; the definite ending makes it refer to the relevant paperwork as a known activity or task. Example: Papirarbejdet tager tid. — “The paperwork takes time.” Together, Jeg kommer tidligt means “I will arrive early” in this future-time context. så connects that early arrival with jeg har tid nok til papirarbejdet, “I have enough time for the paperwork.” The whole utterance means: “I will arrive early so I have enough time for the paperwork.”

11. Den ekstra tid burde gøre besøget mindre hektisk.

    Extra time should make the appointment feel less rushed.

    Den

    the

    ekstra

    extra

    tid

    time

    burde

    should

    gøre

    make

    besøget

    the appointment

    mindre

    less

    hektisk

    rushed

    More detail

    Den introduces a definite singular noun phrase. Here it is the common-gender singular form used with tid, so den contributes “the”; it is not itself the meaning “extra.” Example: den lange dag = “the long day.” ekstra means “additional” or “extra” and is unchanged here. It describes tid. Example: Vi har ekstra tid. = “We have extra time.” tid means “time.” In this sentence it is a common-gender noun, as shown by den. The previous context also supports the time-management sense: time is available for arriving early and doing paperwork. Example: Jeg har tid. = “I have time.” burde expresses what is expected or advisable: “should” or “ought to.” It is the modal form used here before the infinitive gøre; the form itself does not assert that the action already happened. Example: Det burde hjælpe. = “That should help.” gøre means “make” or “cause.” It is the infinitive after burde. The reusable pattern gøre noget + adjective describes causing something to have a quality: Det gør arbejdet lettere. = “It makes the work easier.” besøget means “the visit” and, in the fixed translation, refers to the appointment. It is the definite form of the neuter noun besøg: et besøg → besøget. The suffix -et, rather than den, marks this noun’s definite singular form. Example: Besøget var kort. = “The visit was short.” mindre means “less” here because it reduces the degree of hektisk. In this use it is a comparative degree word, contrasting with mere (“more”): mindre støj = “less noise,” mere støj = “more noise.” hektisk means “hectic” or “rushed.” It describes the resulting character of besøget; the translation’s “feel less rushed” conveys the same intended result. Example: Dagen er hektisk. = “The day is hectic.” Together, Den ekstra tid is “the extra time,” and burde gøre besøget mindre hektisk says that this extra time is expected to cause the appointment to be less rushed. The complete meaning is: “Extra time should make the appointment feel less rushed.”