Mission—Team—FAQ—Privacy—Terms—Sponsors—Grammar—Typing Course—Donate

© 2026 Elon Automation B.V.

Learn Hardcore Danish: Mobilsignalet er værre i dag. - The mobile signal is worse today.

Hardcore Danish
/Choosing a mobile phone plan
/Mobilsignalet er værre i dag.

Mobilsignalet er værre i dag.

Word

Mobilsignalet er værre i dag.

Meaning

The mobile signal is worse today.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Danish

Lesson

Choosing a mobile phone plan

Breakdown of Mobilsignalet er værre i dag.

the mobile signal

Questions & Answers about Mobilsignalet er værre i dag.

Why is mobilsignalet one word?

Because Danish very often makes compound nouns where English uses two or more words.

mobil = mobile phone / cell phone
signal = signal
mobilsignal = mobile signal, cell signal
mobilsignalet = the mobile signal

So Danish prefers one combined noun instead of something like mobil signal.

Why does mobilsignalet end in -et?

The ending -et is the definite article attached to the noun. In English, you usually put the before the noun, but in Danish it is often added to the end.

et mobilsignal = a mobile signal
mobilsignalet = the mobile signal

Here, signal is a common neuter noun, so its definite singular ending is -et.

Why is there no separate word for the before mobilsignalet?

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching Danish grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Danish now

In Danish, the definite article is usually a suffix, not a separate word.

So:

English: the mobile signal
Danish: mobilsignalet

A separate definite word like det is only used in certain cases, for example with an adjective:

det dårlige mobilsignal = the bad mobile signal

But in your sentence, there is no adjective before the noun, so mobilsignalet by itself is enough.

What does er mean here?

Er is the present tense of at være = to be.

So:

jeg er = I am
du er = you are
det er = it is
mobilsignalet er = the mobile signal is

In this sentence, er links the subject mobilsignalet with the description værre i dag.

Why is it værre and not dårligere?

Værre is the comparative form of slem or, in many real-life cases, also used where English would say worse.

Danish often uses værre in everyday speech for things like signal, weather, pain, noise, conditions, and so on.

So:

dårlig = bad
dårligere = worse / more bad
værre = worse

In many contexts, both may be possible, but værre is very natural here.
So Mobilsignalet er værre i dag means The mobile signal is worse today.

Why is there no than phrase after værre?

Because Danish, like English, can leave the comparison understood.

Værre is a comparative form, so the full idea is something like:

worse than before
worse than usual
worse than yesterday

But if the context already makes that clear, Danish does not need to say it explicitly.

If you wanted to include it, you could say something like:

Mobilsignalet er værre end i går. = The mobile signal is worse than yesterday.

What does i dag mean, and why is it two words?

I dag means today.

Literally:

i = in
dag = day

But together, i dag functions like the adverb today.

It is normally written as two words in modern Danish:

i dag

Example:

Jeg arbejder hjemme i dag. = I’m working from home today.

Is this sentence talking about the signal itself or phone reception?

In normal usage, mobilsignalet usually refers to mobile reception / cell signal rather than some technical signal in an abstract sense.

So a natural English understanding is:

The cell reception is worse today.
The mobile signal is worse today.

Both are good translations depending on context.

What is the basic word order of this sentence?

The word order is very straightforward:

Mobilsignalet = subject
er = verb
værre = complement
i dag = time expression

So the pattern is:

Subject + verb + description + time

That is very similar to English: The mobile signal + is + worse + today

Could I also say I dag er mobilsignalet værre?

Yes. That is also correct.

Danish follows the V2 rule, which means the finite verb usually comes in the second position of a main clause.

So both are correct:

Mobilsignalet er værre i dag.
I dag er mobilsignalet værre.

The second version puts more focus on today.

How do you pronounce værre?

A rough guide is something like VAIR-uh, but with Danish sounds that do not match English exactly.

A few useful points:

æ is a front vowel, somewhat like the vowel in English air for many speakers, but not exactly.
The double rr does not mean you strongly roll the r.
The final -e is usually a light, weak vowel.

So do not try to pronounce it like a fully clear English verry. The Danish sound is softer and more central.

Can mobilsignal be either et or en?

No. Signal is a neuter noun, so it takes et.

et signal
et mobilsignal
mobilsignalet

That means forms like en mobilsignal would be incorrect.

Is this a complete natural sentence in Danish?

Yes, absolutely. It is short, natural, and idiomatic.

A Danish speaker could easily say this in everyday situations like:

poor reception at home
bad signal on the train
weak network in a rural area

It sounds like normal spoken or written Danish.

Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io