Breakdown of Hvis det tordner, bliver vi hjemme.
det
it (neuter)
vi
we
blive
to stay / to become
hjemme
at home
hvis
if
tordne
to thunder
Questions & Answers about Hvis det tordner, bliver vi hjemme.
Why does the second part say bliver vi (stay we) instead of vi bliver (we stay)?
In Danish, the verb must always be the second idea in a main sentence (the V2 rule). Here, the entire "if" clause (Hvis det tordner) acts as the first idea. To keep the main verb (bliver) in the second position, it must swap places with its subject (vi).
Does the "if" clause (Hvis det tordner) change the word order of its own subject and verb?
No. A subordinate clause (a dependent part of the sentence starting with a word like hvis) keeps the normal subject-verb order. So it is det tordner (it thunders), not tordner det. The word order flip only happens in the main part of the sentence (bliver vi).
Could I say bliver vi hjem instead of bliver vi hjemme?
No, you need hjemme here. In Danish, hjem implies movement towards a place (going home), while hjemme means you are already located there (being or staying at home). Since the verb is bliver (stay or remain), there is no movement, so we use the location word hjemme.
The English meaning implies a future action ("we will stay home"). Why isn't there a future tense word in the Danish sentence?
Danish often uses the present tense to talk about the future, especially when there is an "if" condition that clearly sets up a future scenario. Using the present tense bliver vi hjemme perfectly and naturally expresses "we will stay home."
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