Starting and ending
| Danish | English |
|---|---|
| starte | to start |
| ende | to end, to end up |
| slut | over, finished |
Starte and begynde both mean to start, and often either works; starte is the usual word for machines (starte bilen), and begynde is the one before an infinitive (begynde at læse). Ende often means to end up, especially in ende med at + infinitive:
| We ended up staying at home. | Vi endte med at blive hjemme. |
slut is an adjective that never changes; it goes after være:
| The holiday is over, and we have to go home. | Ferien er slut, og vi skal hjem. |
Leaving
forlade is a strong verb: forlader — forlod — har forladt. It always takes an object — you leave something or someone:
| She left him after ten years. | Hun forlod ham efter ti år. |
smutte is the casual way to say you are going for a moment, or leaving: Jeg smutter lige …
| I am just popping down to the shop. | Jeg smutter lige ned i butikken. |
When — endelig, tidligere, sidst
| Danish | English |
|---|---|
| endelig | at last, finally |
| tidligere | earlier, before, previously |
| sidst | last; til sidst = in the end |
| At last it is Friday! | Endelig er det fredag! |
| In the end everyone went home. | Til sidst gik alle hjem. |
Sidste (with -e) is the adjective: sidste uge. Sidst (no -e) is the adverb: Hvem kom sidst?
Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io
