Breakdown of Først vasker hun hænderne, og dernæst laver hun maden.
hun
she
og
and
maden
the food
lave
to make; to do (an activity)
vaske
to wash
hånden
the hand
først
first, at first
dernæst
next (in a sequence)
Questions & Answers about Først vasker hun hænderne, og dernæst laver hun maden.
Why is it vasker hun and laver hun instead of hun vasker and hun laver?
Danish uses the V2 rule, meaning the verb must be the second idea in a main clause. Because the first clause starts with the adverb Først (first) and the second clause starts with the adverb dernæst (next) after the conjunction og, the subject and verb must invert in both parts of the sentence.
The English translation says 'her hands', but the Danish says hænderne (the hands). Why isn't it hendes hænder?
In Danish, when an action is done to one's own body parts or everyday clothing, and it is obvious whose body part it is, you usually use the definite article (-erne) rather than a possessive pronoun like hendes.
Why does the sentence use the definite form maden instead of just saying laver mad?
While at lave mad is the standard phrase for the general activity of cooking, using the definite form maden (the food) implies she is preparing a specific meal that was already planned or implied in the context.
Could I use så or bagefter instead of dernæst here?
Yes, you could use så (then) or bagefter (afterwards). Dernæst (next or subsequently) is slightly more structured and formal, pairing very naturally with Først to create a clear step-by-step sequence.
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