Learn Danish: Hvad vil De gerne bestille? - What would you like to order?

Capitalized De is the formal pronoun for "you" (both singular and plural). If it were written with a lowercase d (de), the sentence would change meaning to "What would they like to order?". You must always capitalize it in writing to indicate this formal register.

Why use vil ... gerne instead of just asking Hvad vil De bestille?

Adding gerne softens the question. Hvad vil De bestille? is quite direct, translating closer to "What do you want to order?". Adding gerne (literally "gladly") changes the meaning to the much more polite "What would you like to order?", which perfectly matches the formal tone of using De.

Why is gerne placed exactly where it is?

This is a great refresher on the V2 (verb-second) rule in questions. The question word Hvad is position one, and the finite verb vil takes position two. The subject De must come immediately after the verb, followed by the central adverb gerne. The infinitive main verb bestille gets pushed to the very end of the clause.

Would a waiter normally use De instead of du in Denmark today?

Generally, no. Modern Danish society is famously informal, and staff will almost always use du (singular) or I (plural) when addressing customers. However, you might still encounter De in luxury hotels, fine-dining restaurants, or occasionally when younger staff address elderly customers out of respect.