The words of an official letter
Official letters are built from a small set of formal words. Learn them as the phrases they come in:
| Danish | English | the phrase you will meet |
|---|---|---|
| indkalde | to call in | indkalde til en samtale — call in for a talk |
| opfylde | to fulfil, to meet | opfylde betingelserne, opfylde kravene |
| yderligere | further, additional | for yderligere oplysninger |
| omstændighederne | the circumstances | under alle omstændigheder |
| specifik | specific | mere specifik |
| ambassaden | the embassy | på ambassaden |
| bagud | behind | bagud med huslejen |
Most authorities now write du to you. The very formal De (object Dem) still turns up in letters from some firms, lawyers and embassies, as in several sentences below.
| The municipality has called me in for a talk. | Kommunen har indkaldt mig til en samtale. |
Indkalde is what an authority, a boss or a board does: it calls you in, or calls a meeting (indkalde til et møde).
| You do not meet the conditions. | Du opfylder ikke betingelserne. |
You opfylde a requirement, a condition, a promise or a wish. To fill a glass or a box is plain fylde.
Fixed formulas
Yderligere stands before the noun like an adjective and never changes form. It often closes a formal letter:
| For further information, you can call us. | For yderligere oplysninger kan De ringe til os. |
Omstændighederne is usually plural, as in English. Under alle omstændigheder means "whatever happens, in any case":
| Whatever the circumstances, you must reply by Friday. | Under alle omstændigheder skal De svare inden fredag. |
Bagud: behind
Bagud means behind or backwards. You are bagud med a payment or your work, and a team is bagud in a match (the team that leads is foran). As a direction it is the opposite of fremad: you step bagud, backwards:
| We can see that you are behind with the rent. | Vi kan se at De er bagud med huslejen. |
| The team is two goals behind. | Holdet er bagud med to mål. |
