Breakdown of Når opsparingen er stor nok, køber hun huset.
være
to be
hun
she
huset
the house
købe
to buy
stor
big
når
when
nok
enough
opsparingen
the savings
Questions & Answers about Når opsparingen er stor nok, køber hun huset.
Why use når for "when" in this sentence instead of da?
The word når is used for events in the future, or things that happen repeatedly ("whenever"). Since she is still saving up and the purchase is in the future, we use når. You only use da for a single, specific event that already happened in the past.
Why is the word order køber hun (buys she) instead of hun køber (she buys)?
This is the V2 rule in action, which means the verb must be the second main piece of information in a main clause. The entire first phrase (Når opsparingen er stor nok) acts as the first piece. So, the verb (køber) must come immediately after the comma, swapping places with the subject (hun).
English uses the plural word "savings", so why doesn't stor (big) have a plural ending here?
In Danish, en opsparing is a singular noun, similar to saying "a savings account" or "a fund". When we add the definite suffix to get opsparingen (the savings), it is still singular. Therefore, the adjective describing it stays in its basic singular form, stor, rather than taking the plural ending to become store.
The English translation says "she will buy", but isn't køber in the present tense?
Yes, køber is the present tense. Danish frequently uses the present tense to talk about the future. Because the first half of the sentence makes it obvious that we are talking about a future condition, Danish naturally uses the present tense instead of a longer future tense structure like vil købe.
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