Breakdown of Hun vil gerne hjælpe Dem.
hun
she
hjælpe
to help
ville
want to / will
gerne
gladly / would like to
Dem
you (formal object)
Questions & Answers about Hun vil gerne hjælpe Dem.
Why is "Dem" capitalized here, and what would it mean if it were lowercase?
Capitalized Dem is the formal object pronoun for 'you' (both singular and plural). It is the object form of the formal subject pronoun De. If it were written with a lowercase d (dem), it would mean 'them'.
How common is it to use the formal "Dem" in Denmark today?
It is quite rare. Following a cultural shift in the late 1960s, Danes almost universally use the informal dig (singular) or jer (plural) when speaking to someone. You will mostly encounter Dem in highly formal written correspondence, from very traditional businesses, or when addressing royalty.
Why do we say "vil gerne hjælpe" instead of just "vil hjælpe"?
The combination vil gerne is the natural way to express 'would like to' or a polite 'want to' in Danish. Using vil on its own can sound like a strong demand or intention (meaning 'she intends to help' or 'she insists on helping'). Adding the adverb gerne softens it to a wish or preference.
Why doesn't the verb "hjælpe" have the infinitive marker "at" in front of it?
Hjælpe directly follows vil, which is a modal verb. Just like in English, Danish modal verbs (vil, kan, skal, må, etc.) are followed by the bare infinitive of the main verb, meaning you do not use the word at (to).
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