I og med at røgalarmanlægget virker, hører alle advarselssignalet.

I og med at is a conjunction meaning something like since, because, seeing that, or given that.

In this sentence, it introduces the reason or condition for the main statement:

• I og med at røgalarmanlægget virker = Since/Because the smoke alarm system is working

It is a fairly formal or written-sounding expression. In everyday Danish, people might often use simpler alternatives such as:

• fordi = because
• da = since/as
• når = when, depending on meaning

So the sentence could be rephrased more simply as:

• Fordi røgalarmanlægget virker, hører alle advarselssignalet.

Because I og med at is a fixed expression.

You should learn it as one unit:

• i og med at = since / because / inasmuch as

The at is not optional here. It introduces the subordinate clause that follows:

• røgalarmanlægget virker

So it works a bit like English the fact that or given that, where the final word helps link to a full clause.

This is because Danish uses V2 word order in main clauses.

When the sentence begins with something other than the subject—here, the whole subordinate clause I og med at røgalarmanlægget virker—that element takes the first position. Then the finite verb of the main clause must come next.

So the structure is:

1. I og med at røgalarmanlægget virker
2. hører
3. alle
4. advarselssignalet

That is why you get:

• I og med at røgalarmanlægget virker, hører alle advarselssignalet.

If the subject came first, you would say:

• Alle hører advarselssignalet.

So this is a very important Danish pattern:

• if something else comes first, the verb comes before the subject.

Because røgalarmanlægget virker is a subordinate clause, and Danish subordinate clauses do not use the same V2 pattern as main clauses.

Inside the subordinate clause, the order is the more basic:

• subject + verb
• røgalarmanlægget virker

In the main clause, after a fronted element, Danish uses V2:

• hører alle advarselssignalet

So the sentence shows two different patterns at once:

• subordinate clause: røgalarmanlægget virker
• main clause: hører alle advarselssignalet

This contrast is very normal in Danish.

Danish often forms nouns by combining several words into one compound noun.

Here:

• røg = smoke
• alarm = alarm
• anlæg = system / installation / setup
• -et = the for a neuter singular noun

So:

• røgalarmanlæg = smoke alarm system
• røgalarmanlægget = the smoke alarm system

English usually writes these as separate words, but Danish often joins them into one word.

This is extremely common in Danish, so long compounds are something learners need to get used to.

The ending -et marks the definite singular form of a neuter noun.

The base noun is:

• et anlæg = a system / an installation

Its definite form is:

• anlægget = the system

When a noun is the final part of a compound, the definite ending is added to the whole compound:

• et røgalarmanlæg = a smoke alarm system
• røgalarmanlægget = the smoke alarm system

So Danish usually adds the as an ending rather than as a separate word.

Because the sentence refers to a specific warning signal: the warning signal.

Here is the pattern:

• et advarselssignal = a warning signal
• advarselssignalet = the warning signal

In context, the signal is specific and identifiable—the one produced by the alarm system—so Danish uses the definite form.

This is very natural in Danish, just as English would often say the warning signal rather than a warning signal in this kind of situation.

That s is a linking element inside the compound noun.

The word is built from:

• advarsel = warning
• signal = signal

Together:

• advarselssignal = warning signal

In many Danish compounds, an s appears between the parts. It does not always correspond neatly to a separate meaning in English; it is just part of how compounds are formed.

So:

• advarsel + signal becomes advarselssignal

This is something you mostly learn by exposure, because linking sounds in compounds are not always fully predictable for learners.

Yes. In this sentence, virker means works, is working, or functions properly.

The verb is:

• at virke = to work / function / have an effect / seem

Here the meaning is clearly:

• røgalarmanlægget virker = the smoke alarm system is working

So this is about the alarm system functioning correctly, not about someone doing work.

Danish often uses the present tense in places where English also uses the present tense for general facts or current situations.

• hører = hear / hears
• virker = work / works / is working

The sentence presents a general present-time relationship:

• because the alarm system is working, everyone hears the warning signal

Depending on context, English might translate this as either:

• everyone hears the warning signal
• everyone can hear the warning signal

But in Danish, the simple present hører is perfectly natural.

Alle means everyone or all people, and it is treated as a plural idea in Danish.

So:

• alle hører = everyone hears / all hear

Even though English everyone often looks grammatically singular, Danish alle behaves more like all people.

That is why the sentence uses:

• hører alle not something singular-looking.

Usually, the most natural meaning of I og med at here is since/because rather than when.

It expresses a reason or a basis:

• Since the smoke alarm system is working, everyone hears the warning signal.

In some contexts, English given that or inasmuch as may also fit.

If you wanted a clearly time-based meaning like when, Danish would more naturally use:

• når = when
• da = when, in certain contexts

So in this sentence, because/since is the best way to understand it.

A more everyday version might be:

• Fordi røgalarmanlægget virker, hører alle advarselssignalet.
• Når røgalarmanlægget virker, kan alle høre advarselssignalet.

The exact choice depends on the meaning you want:

• fordi = because
• når = when / whenever
• kan høre = can hear

So the original sentence is perfectly correct, but I og med at sounds a bit more formal or explanatory than the most conversational option.