Breakdown of Hvis det ikke regnede, ville vi gå en tur.
det
it (neuter)
vi
we
ikke
not
ville
want to / will
regne
to rain
hvis
if
gå en tur
to go for a walk
Questions & Answers about Hvis det ikke regnede, ville vi gå en tur.
Why is regnede in the past tense if we are talking about right now?
Just like in English, Danish uses the past tense to talk about unreal or hypothetical situations in the present. Saying Hvis det ikke regnede (If it was not raining) shows that it actually is raining right now.
Why does the second part say ville vi instead of vi ville?
This is the V2 (verb-second) rule in action. The entire if-clause (Hvis det ikke regnede) counts as the first block of information. To keep the main verb in the second position, ville must come before the subject vi.
Why does ikke come before the verb regnede here?
In normal main clauses, ikke comes after the verb. However, this is a subordinate clause (a dependent clause starting with Hvis). In Danish subordinate clauses, small adverbs like ikke must always be placed before the verb.
Does gå en tur literally mean walk a tour?
Yes, it literally translates to walk a trip or walk a tour. In Danish, this is the standard everyday phrase you use to say you want to go for a walk.
Learn Hvis det ikke regnede, ville vi gå en tur and more in Danish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free