Absolute Phrases with "Med"
When you want to describe an ongoing physical state, posture, or secondary action that happens at the same time as the main action, Danish uses a construction starting with med (with).
This is known as a med-konstruktion (med-construction). It consists of med + a noun + a description of that noun's state. The description is usually an adjective, a prepositional phrase, or a present participle.
Med + Adjective
You can use an adjective to describe the condition of a person or a body part. Just like regular adjectives in Danish, the adjective in this phrase must agree in number with the noun it modifies (e.g., adding -e for plural nouns).
| The mood in the casino itself is completely intense with the players silent. | Stemningen i selve kasinoet er helt intens med spillerne tavse. |
| The woman looks at the opponent with her face completely tense. | Kvinden kigger på modstanderen med ansigtet helt anspændt. |
Med + Prepositional Phrase
To describe the physical placement of something—such as where a player's hands are resting during a tense game—you can follow the noun with a spatial prepositional phrase.
| The tense opponent sits with his fists in front of his mouth. | Den anspændte modstander sidder med næverne foran munden. |
| The bluff itself is rather intense with the chips in the middle of the table. | Selve bluffet er temmelig intenst med jetonerne på midten af bordet. |
Med + Present Participle
If the concurrent state is an ongoing action, you use a present participle. In Danish, present participles are formed by adding -ende to the verb stem, which is equivalent to the English "-ing" ending.
| When they are in the casino, the men sit with their fists clenching around the cards. | Når de er i kasinoet, sidder mændene med næverne knugende om kortene. |
| She reveals the bluff with her hands shaking on the chips. | Hun afslører bluffet med hænderne rystende på jetonerne. |
