Jeg tjekker måleraflæsningen ved at aflæse elmåleren.

They come from the same basic idea: to read a meter.

• at aflæse = to read/take a reading from
• aflæsning = reading or the act/result of reading
• måleraflæsning = meter reading
• måleraflæsningen = the meter reading

So the sentence uses:

• tjekker måleraflæsningen = checks the meter reading
• ved at aflæse elmåleren = by reading the electricity meter

This kind of repetition is completely normal in Danish.

Ved at means by when you explain how something is done.

So:

• ved at aflæse elmåleren = by reading the electricity meter

This is a very common Danish structure:

• Jeg lærer dansk ved at læse. = I learn Danish by reading.
• Han tjener penge ved at arbejde om aftenen. = He earns money by working in the evening.

After ved at, Danish uses the infinitive form of the verb:

• at aflæse

Because after ved, Danish normally uses at + infinitive in this structure:

• ved at + verb

So:

• ved at aflæse
• ved at læse
• ved at arbejde

This is different from English, which uses by + -ing:

• by reading
• by working

Danish does not say the equivalent of ved aflæsende or anything like that. The normal form is ved at + infinitive.

Because Danish often uses the definite form where English would say the.

• elmåler = electricity meter / electric meter
• elmåleren = the electricity meter

The definite article is attached to the end of the noun:

• en elmåler = an electricity meter
• elmåleren = the electricity meter

The same happens with:

• en bil → bilen
• en computer → computeren

So aflæse elmåleren means read the electricity meter.

Because aflæsning is a common-gender noun:

• en aflæsning = a reading
• aflæsningen = the reading

And in this sentence the full compound noun is:

• måleraflæsning = meter reading
• måleraflæsningen = the meter reading

In Danish, the definite ending usually goes on the final part of the compound noun, not the first part.

So:

• måler + aflæsning + en
• måleraflæsningen

Danish very often joins nouns together into one word.

Here you have two compounds:

• måleraflæsning

  • måler = meter
  • aflæsning = reading
  • together: meter reading

• elmåler

  • el = electricity/electric
  • måler = meter
  • together: electricity meter / electric meter

This is extremely common in Danish, and English speakers often need practice noticing where one part ends and the next begins.

It is a normal, commonly used Danish verb, but it is borrowed from English check.

• at tjekke = to check
• jeg tjekker = I check / I am checking

It is very common in everyday Danish. Depending on context, Danish might also use other verbs such as:

• kontrollerer = checks/inspects/verifies
• ser på = looks at

But tjekker sounds natural and modern here.

Because Danish present tense often covers both meanings.

• Jeg tjekker can mean:
  • I check
  • I am checking

Danish does not usually have a separate present continuous form like English am checking.

The exact meaning depends on context:

• habitual: I check the meter reading
• happening now: I am checking the meter reading

They refer to different things:

• elmåleren = the physical meter itself
• måleraflæsningen = the reading/value/result taken from the meter

So in the sentence:

• first, you check the meter reading
• and you do that by reading the electricity meter

In other words:

• the device = elmåleren
• the number/data from it = måleraflæsningen

This is standard Danish main-clause word order.

The structure is:

• Jeg = subject
• tjekker = finite verb
• måleraflæsningen = object
• ved at aflæse elmåleren = adverbial phrase explaining how

So the sentence is built like this:

Subject + verb + object + method/how-phrase

That is very normal in Danish.

You could make a more formal noun-based version, but it would sound more bureaucratic and less natural in everyday language.

The sentence with ved at + infinitive is much more natural:

• Jeg tjekker måleraflæsningen ved at aflæse elmåleren.

A more formal style might use nouns instead of verbs, for example in technical writing, but ordinary Danish often prefers the verbal structure.

No. At aflæse means to read off, to take a reading from, or to read from an instrument/display.

Common examples:

• aflæse en måler = read a meter
• aflæse temperaturen = read the temperature
• aflæse et termometer = read a thermometer
• aflæse tallet på skærmen = read the number on the screen

So it is often used when information is taken from some device, gauge, display, or measuring instrument.

The hardest words are usually the compounds:

• måleraflæsningen
• elmåleren

A useful learner tip is to hear them in parts first:

• måler + aflæsning + en
• el + måler + en

Try to keep the stress mainly on the first part of the compound, which is common in Danish compounds.

Also watch these sounds:

• å in måler
• æ in aflæse
• the soft or reduced endings in spoken Danish, especially -en

It is often easier to master pronunciation by learning the smaller pieces first and then joining them.