Breakdown of Undskyld besværet, men kunne du hjælpe min bror?
du
you
hjælpe
to help
min
my
broren
the brother
kunne
to be able to / can
men
but
undskyld
sorry; excuse me
besværet
the trouble (the hassle, effort)
Questions & Answers about Undskyld besværet, men kunne du hjælpe min bror?
Why is kunne in the past tense if I am asking for help right now?
Using the past tense form of a modal verb like kunne (could) instead of the present tense kan (can) makes a request softer and more polite. This is exactly like in English when you ask "Could you help?" instead of "Can you help?".
What is the literal meaning of Undskyld besværet?
Undskyld means "excuse" or "sorry", and besværet is the definite form of et besvær (trouble, difficulty, or hassle). Together, this fixed phrase is the most natural way to say "sorry to bother you" or "sorry for the inconvenience" in Danish.
Why doesn't the verb hjælpe have an -r at the end?
Because it follows the modal verb kunne. In Danish, just like in English, a modal verb is always followed by the dictionary form (the infinitive) of the main verb. Therefore, it is hjælpe, not the present tense hjælper.
As a quick refresher, why is it min bror and not mit bror?
Bror is a common gender noun (an en word). You must use min to match this gender. If you were talking about a neuter noun (an et word) like barn (child), you would use mit instead.
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