Breakdown of Vi arbejder fra ni til fem.
vi
we
arbejde
to work
fra
from
fem
five
ni
nine
til
to (preposition) / for (purpose) / at (an event or occasion) / at (good at something)
Questions & Answers about Vi arbejder fra ni til fem.
Is fra ni til fem a standard Danish idiom for a regular office job like it is in English?
While Danes understand it, it is mostly a direct translation of the English idiom. A standard Danish workweek is 37 hours and usually runs from 8:00 to 16:00, so you are much more likely to hear fra otte til fire when talking about a typical workday in Denmark.
Why use the 12-hour clock here instead of the 24-hour clock?
In everyday conversation, Danes frequently use the 12-hour clock without specifying morning or evening if the context is obvious, just like in English. However, for written schedules, official meetings, or public transport, the 24-hour clock (fra ni til sytten) is strictly used.
Could I use mellem and og instead of fra and til in this sentence?
You could, but it changes the nuance slightly. Vi arbejder fra ni til fem means your shift continuously spans that entire period. If you say Vi arbejder mellem ni og fem, it can imply that the work takes place at some point during that time window, but not necessarily for the whole duration.
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