Breakdown of Da vi gik i børnehave, legede vi altid ude.
vi
we
i
in
altid
always
gå
to walk / to go / to go out, to fail (of power)
da
when (single past event)
ude
outside (location at)
børnehaven
the kindergarten
lege
to play (children, toys)
Questions & Answers about Da vi gik i børnehave, legede vi altid ude.
Why do we use da for 'when' here instead of når?
In Danish, da is used for a specific time or period in the past that is now finished. Because being in kindergarten is a completed past period, we must use da. You use når for the present, the future, or for repeated actions meaning 'every time'.
Why is the second part of the sentence legede vi instead of vi legede?
This happens because of the V2 (verb-second) rule. The entire 'when' phrase (Da vi gik i børnehave) acts as the first piece of information in the sentence. Therefore, the main verb (legede) must take the second position, swapping places with the subject (vi).
Does gik i børnehave literally mean we walked in the kindergarten?
Literally, it means 'walked in kindergarten', but Danish uses the verb at gå (to walk or go) to talk about attending a school or institution. So gik i børnehave is the standard way to say you attended kindergarten.
Why does the sentence use ude instead of ud for 'outside'?
Danish uses different words for location and movement. You use ude when you are already in a fixed location (playing outside), and ud when there is movement towards the outside (going out). Since they are just playing out there, ude is the correct choice.
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