Breakdown of Hvis du er klar, begynder præsentationen på torsdag.
være
to be
du
you
begynde
to begin
på
on / at / in (a language) / of (after nouns like end or start)
torsdag
Thursday
hvis
if
klar
ready
præsentationen
the presentation
Questions & Answers about Hvis du er klar, begynder præsentationen på torsdag.
Why do we use på torsdag instead of i torsdags here?
We use på plus the weekday to talk about the future, meaning 'this coming Thursday'. Because the presentation is happening in the future, we need på torsdag. If it had already happened in the past, we would use i plus the weekday plus -s to say i torsdags (last Thursday).
Why are the verb and subject swapped in begynder præsentationen?
This is the Danish V2 (verb-second) rule! The whole 'if' clause (Hvis du er klar) takes up the first position in the sentence. The main verb (begynder) must be in the second position, so it has to come right before its subject (præsentationen).
Why doesn't the sentence use a future tense word if Thursday is in the future?
Just like in English ('the presentation starts next Thursday'), Danish often uses the present tense to talk about scheduled future events. You don't need to add a future helper verb like vil here.
Doesn't klar mean 'clear'? Why is it translated as 'ready'?
klar is a flexible word that can mean both 'clear' (like a clear sky) and 'ready' (prepared for something). Context tells you which one it is, and here, being 'ready' for a presentation makes the most sense.
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