Vi begynder optændingen, og gløderne bliver varme.

Because Danish usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun.

• optænding = lighting / fire-starting
• optændingen = the lighting / the fire-starting

So Vi begynder optændingen means We begin the fire-starting process or We start the lighting. It refers to a specific process, not the idea in general.

Because begynde can be used in two different ways:

1. begynde at + verb

   • Vi begynder at tænde op = We begin to light the fire

2. begynde + noun

   • Vi begynder optændingen = We begin the lighting / fire-starting

In your sentence, optændingen is a noun, so at is not needed.

It is a noun. It refers to the act or process of lighting a fire, stove, grill, etc.

A native English speaker might expect a verb phrase like start lighting the fire, but Danish often uses a noun where English would prefer a verbal expression.

So:

• at tænde op = to light up / start a fire
• optænding = the act of lighting it

Because -ne is the definite plural ending.

The forms are:

• en glød = an ember
• gløder = embers
• gløderne = the embers

So gløderne means the embers.

This is a very common Danish pattern: instead of a separate word like the, Danish often adds the definiteness to the end of the noun.

Yes. Here bliver means becomes or gets.

• gløderne bliver varme = the embers become hot / get hot

This shows a change of state.

Compare:

• Gløderne er varme = The embers are hot
• Gløderne bliver varme = The embers become hot / are getting hot

So bliver is important because it tells you something is changing.

Because the adjective has to agree with the noun in number.

• gløden = singular
• gløderne = plural

Since gløderne is plural, the adjective is plural too:

• Gløden bliver varm = The ember becomes hot
• Gløderne bliver varme = The embers become hot

This is normal in Danish when adjectives are used after verbs like være and blive.

It can be either, depending on context. Danish varm/varme covers a wider range than English warm sometimes does.

With gløderne, English would very naturally say hot, even though the Danish word is still varme.

So in this sentence, varme is best understood as something like hot rather than mildly warm.

Because the sentence joins two full main clauses:

• Vi begynder optændingen
• gløderne bliver varme

In Danish, it is normal to separate two independent clauses with a comma, even when they are joined by og.

So the comma is not because of a list. It is marking the boundary between two complete clauses.

It is normal main-clause word order:

• gløderne = subject
• bliver = verb
• varme = adjective/complement

So it is simply:

subject + verb + rest

After og, Danish can continue with another main clause in the same normal order.

A few sounds may feel unfamiliar:

• y in begynder is not like English y. It is a rounded vowel, somewhat like French u.
• ø in gløderne also has no exact English equivalent. It is a rounded front vowel.
• The d in gløderne is usually a soft Danish d, not a strong English d.

A rough learner-friendly approximation might be:

• begynder ≈ beh-GYN-der but with a rounded vowel in gyn
• gløderne ≈ GLUR-thə-nə, though that is only approximate

The exact sounds take practice, especially y, ø, and the soft d.

Yes, but it sounds a bit more descriptive or technical than everyday casual speech.

A more everyday way might be something like:

• Vi tænder op, og gløderne bliver varme

That said, Vi begynder optændingen is still understandable and correct. It just focuses more on the process of starting the fire rather than using the simpler verb phrase tænder op.