Vi tager grillspyddet, når grøntsagsspyddet er gennemstegt.

In Danish, the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun instead of standing in front of it.

• et spyd = a skewer
• spyddet = the skewer

So:

• grillspyddet = the grill skewer
• grøntsagsspyddet = the vegetable skewer

Because spyd is a neuter noun, the definite ending is -et.

Danish normally writes compound nouns as one word.

So English-style combinations like grill skewer or vegetable skewer become:

• grillspyd
• grøntsagsspyd

This is very common in Danish. If two nouns belong together as one idea, they are usually written as a single word.

That s is a linking s, which often appears in Danish compound nouns.

So the structure is:

• grøntsag
  • s
    • spyd = grøntsagsspyd

It does not mean possession here. It is just a normal way of joining the two parts of the compound. English learners often notice this because English usually does not show this kind of linking letter.

Because the definite singular form of spyd is spelled spyddet. This is simply the standard form you need to learn with the noun.

So:

• spyd → spyddet
• grillspyd → grillspyddet
• grøntsagsspyd → grøntsagsspyddet

The double d is mainly a spelling issue; you do not pronounce it like a strongly doubled consonant in English.

The basic meaning of tage is to take, but in cooking or practical contexts it can also mean something like take off, remove, or take away.

So Vi tager grillspyddet can naturally mean that we take the skewer off or remove it when the other one is ready.

This is a good example of how tage can be broader than just physically take in English.

Danish very often uses the present tense for future meaning when the time is clear from the context.

Here, når makes the timing clear:

• Vi tager grillspyddet, når ...
  = We take / will take the grill skewer when ...

So Danish does not need a separate future form here. This is completely normal.

Når means when in the sense of something expected to happen.

That fits this sentence because the speaker assumes the vegetable skewer will become fully cooked, and then the next action will happen.

Useful contrast:

• når = when, for something expected/repeated
• hvis = if
• da = when, usually about a specific past occasion

So når is the natural choice here.

Because når grøntsagsspyddet er gennemstegt is a subordinate clause, and subordinate clauses in Danish normally keep the order subject + verb.

So:

• når grøntsagsspyddet er gennemstegt

not

• når er grøntsagsspyddet gennemstegt

But if that whole når-clause comes first, then the main clause shows inversion:

• Når grøntsagsspyddet er gennemstegt, tager vi grillspyddet.

That is a very common Danish word-order pattern.

Gennemstegt is a past participle used like an adjective here. It describes the state of the skewer.

• er gennemstegt = is cooked through / is well done

So grammatically, it works as a predicate after er.

You can think of it as describing the result of cooking:

• stegt = fried/roasted/cooked
• gennemstegt = cooked all the way through

Yes. Danish allows both orders.

• Vi tager grillspyddet, når grøntsagsspyddet er gennemstegt.
• Når grøntsagsspyddet er gennemstegt, tager vi grillspyddet.

Both are correct. The second version puts slightly more focus on the time condition first. The main grammatical difference is that when the subordinate clause comes first, the main clause has inversion: tager vi, not vi tager.