Breakdown of Lad være med at smaske når vi spiser.
spise
to eat
vi
we
at
to
når
when
lade være med
to stop (doing something)
smaske
to chew loudly
Questions & Answers about Lad være med at smaske når vi spiser.
Why does the sentence use lad være med at instead of a word for stop?
In Danish, the phrase lade være med at followed by a verb in its infinitive form is the standard way to tell someone to stop doing something or not to do it at all. Literally, it means let be with to, but you should treat it as a fixed chunk. Because this sentence is a command, it uses the imperative (command) form lad.
Does smaske literally mean chewing loudly?
Yes, but as a single specific action. While English often relies on a verb plus an adverb (like chewing loudly), Danish has this dedicated verb. At smaske specifically means to smack your lips or make wet, noisy sounds while eating.
Why is the word når used here instead of da for when?
Both når and da translate to when, but they have strict rules. Når is used for things happening in the present or future, and for repeated actions (meaning whenever). Da is only used for a single, specific event in the past. Since eating together is a repeated, present action, når is the correct choice.
How is the chunk lad være med at actually pronounced in everyday speech?
It is heavily shortened and blended together. Lad være often sounds like la-vær, and the med at merges into something like mæ-å. If you listen to a native speaker say this fast, the whole command will typically sound like la-vær-mæ-å smaske.
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