Discussing rebooking after a possible missed connection | Learn Danish in English

Sentence explanations

1. Jeg risikerer at misse min forbindelse på grund af denne forsinkelse.

   I might miss my connection because of this delay.

   Jeg

   I

   risikerer

   risk

   misse

   miss

   min

   my

   forbindelse

   connection

   på grund af

   because of

   denne

   this

   forsinkelse

   delay

   More detail

   Jeg means “I” here: it is the first-person singular subject pronoun. The corresponding plural subject pronoun is vi (“we”). risikerer is the present-tense form of risikere, “to risk.” Danish present tense commonly has the ending -er for verbs of this type: risikere → risikerer. Here it expresses a possible unwanted outcome, not a definite one. Example: Jeg risikerer at komme for sent. — “I risk being late.” misse is an infinitive meaning “to miss,” as in fail to catch or maintain something. The form follows at, which marks the infinitive here. risikere at is a reusable pattern meaning “risk [doing something]”: Hun risikerer at miste toget. — “She risks missing the train.” Miste is a different verb, meaning “to lose”; it should not be substituted for misse when the intended meaning is missing a connection. min means “my” before a singular common-gender noun. Danish possessives agree with the possessed noun: min with common gender singular, mit with neuter singular, and mine with plural nouns. In this sentence, min agrees with forbindelse. forbindelse means “connection” here, specifically the connection the speaker may fail to catch. It is a common-gender noun: en forbindelse, with definite form forbindelsen (“the connection”). Example: Jeg har en forbindelse klokken otte. — “I have a connection at eight.” på grund af is a fixed prepositional construction meaning “because of” or “due to.” It introduces the cause of the risk. Example: Flyet er forsinket på grund af tåge. — “The plane is delayed because of fog.” denne means “this” before a singular common-gender noun. It agrees with forsinkelse, which is common gender. The corresponding forms are dette before a singular neuter noun and disse before a plural noun. The demonstrative identifies the delay as the relevant one in the situation. forsinkelse means “delay.” It is a common-gender noun: en forsinkelse, with definite form forsinkelsen (“the delay”). Its relation to denne gives the phrase denne forsinkelse, “this delay.” Together, Jeg risikerer at misse means “I risk missing,” and min forbindelse identifies what may be missed: “my connection.” på grund af denne forsinkelse gives the cause: “because of this delay.” The complete utterance is therefore: “I might miss my connection because of this delay.”

2. Servicekontoret kan undersøge andre ruter, når forsinkelsen er bekræftet.

   The service desk can check other routes once the delay is confirmed.

   Servicekontoret

   the service desk

   kan

   can

   undersøge

   check

   andre

   other

   ruter

   routes

   når

   once

   forsinkelsen

   the delay

   er bekræftet

   is confirmed

   More detail

   Servicekontoret means “the service desk” here. It is the definite singular form of servicekontor (“service desk/office”): servicekontor + -et. Danish commonly marks a definite noun this way when there is no separate word corresponding to “the.” kan expresses ability or possibility: “can.” It is a modal verb and is followed by an infinitive without an infinitive marker: kan undersøge = “can check.” The form kan does not change for the subject’s person or number. For example, Jeg kan vente means “I can wait.” undersøge means “check” or “investigate.” This is the infinitive form, used after kan. The sentence uses it for examining possible routes, not for physically checking an object in a narrow sense. andre means “other” in the plural context here. It modifies ruter, so it is the form used with plural nouns. A useful contrast is en anden rute (“another route,” singular) versus andre ruter (“other routes,” plural). ruter means “routes.” It is the indefinite plural of rute (“route”): en rute → ruter. The noun is plural because the service desk is considering more than one route, while andre marks them as different from the route or routes already under consideration. når introduces the time condition “when” or, in this context, “once.” It links the main clause to the condition forsinkelsen er bekræftet. Danish uses når for a time relation presented as expected or relevant, rather than using it to assert a particular quantity of events. forsinkelsen means “the delay.” It is the definite singular form of forsinkelse (“delay”): forsinkelse + -n. The definite form presents the delay as an identified one in this context; the preceding context also refers to denne forsinkelse (“this delay”). er bekræftet means “is confirmed.” er is the present-tense form of være (“be”), and bekræftet is the past participle of bekræfte (“confirm”). Together they describe the delay as confirmed. In er bekræftet, the delay is the thing whose status is described; the wording does not say who confirmed it. The structure is Servicekontoret kan undersøge andre ruter (“The service desk can check other routes”) followed by når forsinkelsen er bekræftet (“once the delay is confirmed”). Together, the utterance says that checking alternative routes is possible after confirmation of the delay.

3. Jeg vil hellere lægge en plan nu end at skynde mig senere.

   I would rather make a plan now than rush later.

   vil hellere

   would rather

   lægge

   make; put

   plan

   plan

   nu

   now

   end at

   than to

   skynde mig

   rush

   senere

   later

   More detail

   vil hellere expresses a preference: “would rather.” Here vil is the present form of ville, and hellere is the comparative form used for “rather.” Together they introduce the option the speaker prefers. Compare Jeg vil hellere blive — “I would rather stay.” lægge is the infinitive of lægge, “to put” or, in the useful fixed combination lægge en plan, “to make a plan.” After vil, the following verb stays in the infinitive: Jeg vil lægge ... means “I want/will make ...” depending on context. The phrase en plan is the noun phrase receiving this action; plan means “plan,” and its plural is planer. nu means “now” and places the planning at the present time. It can be reused with another action, for example Vi gør det nu — “We are doing it now.” end at introduces the alternative in this comparison: “than to.” The pattern is hellere [one action] end at [another action]. The at marks the infinitive in the second part; it is not the English preposition “at.” skynde mig means “rush/hurry.” The verb is skynde, and mig is the first-person singular pronoun used with the reflexive construction skynde sig: Jeg skynder mig means “I hurry.” Because the subject here is Jeg, the reflexive form is mig; with another subject, the form changes, for example Hun skynder sig — “She hurries.” In this sentence, skynde mig is an infinitive after at. senere means “later,” referring to a time after now. It modifies the rushing action, not the planning: the speaker prefers making the plan now rather than rushing later. Whole sentence: Jeg is “I,” and vil hellere sets up the preferred choice. lægge en plan nu means “make a plan now,” while end at skynde mig senere gives the less-preferred alternative, “than rush later.” Thus the complete meaning is “I would rather make a plan now than rush later.”

4. Så lad os sammenligne mulighederne, men husk på, at de kan ændre sig.

   Then let us compare the options, but keep in mind they may change.

   Så

   Then

   lad os

   let us

   sammenligne

   compare

   mulighederne

   the options

   men

   but

   husk på

   keep in mind

   de

   they

   kan

   may

   ændre sig

   change

   More detail

   Så means “then” here and marks the next step. Danish så can also mean “so” in other contexts, but the fixed translation supports the time/sequence reading here. lad os is the reusable Danish pattern for “let us” or “let’s.” lad is the imperative of lade, and os is the object form used in this construction. It is followed by an infinitive: Lad os vente. — “Let’s wait.” sammenligne is the infinitive “to compare.” After lad os, it names the action being proposed. Example: Lad os sammenligne priserne. — “Let’s compare the prices.” mulighederne means “the options” here. The noun is mulighed (“option, possibility”); its forms are mulighed (singular indefinite), muligheden (singular definite), muligheder (plural indefinite), and mulighederne (plural definite). The ending -ne marks the definite plural form. men is the conjunction “but.” It connects the proposed comparison with a contrasting reminder. husk på is a fixed pattern meaning “keep in mind” or “remember.” husk is the second-person singular imperative of huske (“to remember”), and på belongs to this construction. Example: Husk på aftalen. — “Keep the agreement in mind.” de is a third-person plural subject pronoun, “they” here. The fixed translation identifies it as referring to the options. Danish de does not mark grammatical gender; its plural form is used regardless of the gender of the referents. kan is the present-tense form of the modal verb kunne. It can express ability or possibility. Here, with ændre sig and the fixed translation, it expresses possibility: “may” or “can” in the sense that a change is possible, not an ability possessed by the options. Example: Planen kan ændre sig. — “The plan may change.” ændre sig means “change” here. ændre is the infinitive after the modal kan, and sig is the reflexive pronoun referring back to the plural subject de. In Danish, sig is used for third-person reflexive subjects in both singular and plural. Example: Forholdene ændrer sig. — “The conditions are changing.” Together, Så lad os sammenligne mulighederne means “Then let us compare the options.” men husk på, at introduces a contrasting reminder, and de kan ændre sig says that the options may change. The complete meaning is: “Then let us compare the options, but keep in mind they may change.”

5. Kan du tjekke, om fleksibel ombooking er mulig her?

   Can you check whether flexible rebooking is available here?

   Kan du

   can you

   tjekke

   check

   om

   whether

   fleksibel

   flexible

   ombooking

   rebooking

   mulig

   possible

   her

   here

   More detail

   Kan du is a reusable Danish way to ask whether someone is able or willing to do something: kan is the present-tense form of kunne “can, be able to,” and du is the second-person singular pronoun “you.” In a question, the modal comes before the subject. For example, Kan du hjælpe? means “Can you help?” tjekke means “to check.” It is the infinitive form, used here after the modal kan; after a modal, Danish normally uses the infinitive without at. The form tjekke itself does not show who performs the checking—the subject du supplies that information. om introduces an embedded yes-or-no question and means “whether” here. It is different from the preposition om, which can have meanings such as “about” or “around”; the following clause determines the function. For example, Jeg ved ikke, om det er åbent. means “I do not know whether it is open.” fleksibel means “flexible” here. It is the common-gender singular form modifying the noun ombooking. The related forms include fleksibelt with a neuter singular noun and fleksible in plural or definite contexts; the adjective agrees with the noun it describes. ombooking means “rebooking.” It is a noun formed with om-, which here indicates doing the booking again or changing it, and booking. The noun is common gender, as shown by the form en ombooking; the indefinite article states the noun’s grammatical gender, not a separate numerical claim about the situation. mulig means “possible” or, in this context, “available.” It is the common-gender singular form of the adjective, agreeing with ombooking in ombooking er mulig. Its other basic agreement forms include muligt with a neuter singular noun and mulige in plural or definite contexts. The choice here is not a verb form: mulig is the adjective describing the rebooking. her is the adverb “here.” It locates the availability in the relevant place or service context; it does not itself identify a more specific location. Together, Kan du tjekke asks the listener to check something. om fleksibel ombooking er mulig is the thing to be checked: whether flexible rebooking is available. her limits that question to the relevant context. The complete utterance therefore means “Can you check whether flexible rebooking is available here?”

6. Jeg kan spørge, men operatøren skal godkende det.

   I can ask, but the operator has to approve it.

   Jeg kan

   I can

   spørge

   ask

   men

   but

   operatøren

   the operator

   skal

   has to

   godkende

   approve

   det

   it

   More detail

   Jeg kan combines the first-person singular pronoun Jeg (“I”) with kan (“can” or “be able to”). kan is the present form of kunne and does not change for the subject; here it is followed by an infinitive without at. Example: Jeg kan hjælpe. — “I can help.” spørge means “to ask”. It is the infinitive after kan, so Jeg kan spørge means “I can ask”. The same form is used after other modal verbs, for example Jeg skal spørge. — “I have to ask.” men means “but” and links two contrasting clauses. Here it contrasts the speaker’s ability to ask with the operator’s required approval. operatøren means “the operator”. The base noun is operatør; the ending -en marks its singular definite form. Danish commonly expresses “the” by attaching a definite suffix to the noun. Example: operatøren svarer — “the operator answers.” skal is the present form of the modal verb skulle. It does not change for the subject; in this sentence it expresses obligation, meaning that the operator has to approve something. Like kan, it is followed by an infinitive without at. godkende means “to approve” or “to authorize”. It is the infinitive governed by skal, giving the reusable pattern skal + infinitive for “must/have to do something”. Example: De skal godkende ændringen. — “They have to approve the change.” det is a neuter singular object pronoun meaning “it” here. The fixed translation identifies it as the thing that must be approved, but the supplied sentence does not specify that thing more precisely. Its form is distinct from den, which can be used for a common-gender singular referent in relevant contexts. Together, Jeg kan spørge means “I can ask”, and men operatøren skal godkende det means “but the operator has to approve it”. The complete utterance is therefore: “I can ask, but the operator has to approve it.” The first clause states the speaker’s ability; the second states the operator’s obligation concerning the unspecified item referred to by det.

7. Se venligst efter ruter med nok tid mellem skiftene.

   Please look for routes with enough time between transfers.

   Se … efter

   look for

   venligst

   please

   ruter

   routes

   nok

   enough

   tid

   time

   mellem

   between

   skiftene

   the transfers

   More detail

   Se efter is a Danish construction meaning “look for” or “search for.” Se is the imperative of se (“to see/look”); the imperative is used here for a request or instruction. The preposition efter completes the construction, so the object being sought follows it. Example: Se efter en ledig plads. — “Look for an available seat.” venligst is a polite adverb meaning “please.” It softens the instruction but does not change what is being requested. It can be placed with an imperative, as here. ruter means “routes.” Its base form is the noun rute (“route”); ruter is its indefinite plural. The definite plural is ruterne, meaning “the routes.” Example: Vi vælger flere ruter. — “We choose several routes.” nok means “enough” in nok tid. It indicates that the amount of time meets the needed threshold; it does not specify an exact amount. Nok is unchanged here rather than agreeing with tid. Example: Der er nok plads. — “There is enough space.” tid means “time.” It is the indefinite singular form of the noun; Danish commonly uses it for an amount or available duration without requiring a plural. In nok tid, it names the amount of time that should be available. mellem means “between.” It introduces the two-sided relation involving the transfers: the routes should have enough time in the interval between them. Example: Der er en vej mellem husene. — “There is a road between the houses.” skiftene means “the transfers” in this transport context. Its base noun is skift, which has the plural skift; skiftene is the definite plural, marked by -ene. The noun can also mean a change or shift in other contexts, but the fixed translation supports the transport sense here. Together, Se efter gives the instruction “look for,” and ruter identifies what to look for. med nok tid adds the condition that the routes must provide enough time, while mellem skiftene specifies that this time is located between the transfers. The whole utterance therefore means: “Please look for routes with enough time between transfers.”

8. Jeg sætter dem først.

   I will put those first.

   Jeg

   I

   sætter

   put

   dem

   them

   først

   first

   More detail

   Jeg means “I.” It is the first-person singular subject pronoun: jeg refers to the speaker, while du means “you” and vi means “we.” sætter is the present-tense form of sætte, “to put” or “to place.” The present form can describe a current action or a planned action, so in this context it is naturally translated with “will put.” Useful forms include sætte (infinitive), sætter (present), and satte (past). Example: Jeg sætter koppen på bordet. — “I put the cup on the table.” dem means “them” or, as in the fixed translation, “those.” It is the object form used for multiple people or things. Compare subject de (“they”) with object dem (“them”): De ser dem. — “They see them.” The specific things referred to by dem are not identified in the supplied sentence. først means “first.” Here it marks priority or order: the speaker will put the indicated things first. It can also describe the first action in a sequence, as in Læs først. — “Read first.” Together, Jeg sætter dem gives “I will put those,” and først adds that this will happen before the other relevant items or actions. The complete utterance therefore means “I will put those first.”

9. Så vi ikke skal løbe efter det næste tog.

   So we are not running for the next train.

   Så

   so

   vi

   we

   ikke

   not

   skal

   are to / will

   løbe

   run

   efter

   for

   det

   the (neuter singular determiner)

   næste

   next

   tog

   train

   More detail

   Så introduces a clause with the meaning “so” here. Depending on context, så can also introduce a result or purpose clause. Example: Jeg går nu, så jeg ikke kommer for sent. — “I am leaving now so that I am not late.” vi is the first-person plural pronoun, “we.” It refers to the speaker together with at least one other person. It does not mark gender. Compare jeg — “I” — for one speaker. ikke expresses negation, “not.” In this clause it negates the situation involving skal løbe: the relevant running-for-the-train situation is presented as not occurring. Danish commonly places ikke before a finite modal or auxiliary in a subordinate clause, as here. skal is the present form of the modal verb skulle. It can express obligation, intention, or expectation, depending on context. Before an infinitive, skal + infinitive expresses what someone is to do or is expected to do; no at is used before that infinitive. Here, skal løbe is within the negated expression ikke skal løbe, and the fixed translation gives the whole combination as “are not running for.” løbe is the infinitive of the verb meaning “run.” After skal, it remains in the infinitive: skal løbe. The form løbe itself does not show the subject; vi supplies the subject in this sentence. Example: Vi skal løbe. — “We are going to run / We are to run.” efter is a preposition. In this utterance, løbe efter det næste tog means “run for the next train,” with the idea of trying to catch it. In other contexts, efter can mean “after.” Example: Hun løber efter bussen. — “She runs after the bus.” det is the neuter singular form used before a neuter noun in this definite noun phrase. It is not functioning here as an independent pronoun. The noun tog is neuter, so the phrase is det næste tog, “the next train.” Danish uses a preposed form such as det or den when an adjective comes before a definite noun: compare det næste tog with toget — “the train.” næste is the adjective meaning “next.” In det næste tog, it identifies the train that comes next in the relevant sequence. The adjective has the same written form here as in den næste and de næste; det carries the neuter singular marking in this phrase. Example: Vi tager det næste tog. — “We take the next train.” tog is the noun “train.” Its base form is tog; the definite singular form is toget, “the train,” and the plural is tog or togene depending on definiteness. In det næste tog, it has the form used after the preposed definite determiner and adjective. Together, Så introduces the clause, vi ikke skal løbe presents the group as not being in the stated running situation, and efter det næste tog specifies what they would run for. The complete utterance therefore has the fixed meaning: “So we are not running for the next train.”