Breakdown of Hvis vi ikke havde været i trafikproppen, havde vi ikke misset flyet.
være
to be
vi
we
i
in
have
to have
Questions & Answers about Hvis vi ikke havde været i trafikproppen, havde vi ikke misset flyet.
Why does the second part of the sentence use havde instead of a word for would have?
In Danish past unreal conditionals, it is very common to use the past perfect tense in both the hvis (if) clause and the main clause. While you could say ville have misset (would have missed), it is completely natural and idiomatic to simply use havde misset to mean the exact same thing.
Why does the second half of the sentence start with the verb havde?
This happens because of the V2 (verb-second) rule. The entire hvis clause counts as the first piece of information in the overall sentence. To keep the main verb in the second position, the main clause must start with the verb havde, followed immediately by the subject vi.
Why is ikke placed before the verb in the first half but after it in the second half?
Adverb placement depends on the type of clause. In a subordinate clause like the hvis part, adverbs like ikke must come before the conjugated verb havde. In the main clause, the normal rule applies: ikke comes after the conjugated verb and the subject.
What is the literal translation of trafikproppen?
It is a compound noun made from trafik (traffic) and prop (cork or plug). With the extra -pen added as the definite article, it literally translates to the traffic plug, which is the standard Danish term for a traffic jam.