Learn Danish: Det giver ikke mening at vente. - It doesn't make sense to wait.

In Danish, the direct translation of the English phrase "to make sense" is at give mening (literally: to give meaning). Using lave (to make) or gøre (to do) here is a common English speaker mistake, but it sounds unnatural to a Dane.

Could I use betydning instead of mening here?

No. While both can translate to "meaning" in English, mening is used for "sense", "purpose", or "opinion". Betydning refers to the literal definition of a word or the significance of an event. Therefore, the phrase "makes sense" is always giver mening.

Why does ikke come after giver rather than before it?

This is a main clause, so it follows the standard V2 (verb-second) rule. The finite verb giver is the second element after the subject Det, and central adverbs like ikke must come immediately after the finite verb in a main clause.

Is the at strictly necessary before vente?

Yes. The phrase at vente (to wait) acts as the real subject of the sentence, temporarily represented by the dummy pronoun Det at the start. You need the infinitive marker at to connect this action to the rest of the sentence.