Jeg vil tage et billede af uglen, hvis den stadig er der i morgen.

I will take a picture of the owl if it is still there tomorrow.

Breakdown of Jeg vil tage et billede af uglen, hvis den stadig er der i morgen.

• jeg: I
• et: a
• være: to be
• af: of
• den: it
• ville: to want
• i morgen: tomorrow
• der: there
• uglen: the owl
• tage: to take
• billedet: the picture
• hvis: if
• stadig: still

Questions & Answers about Jeg vil tage et billede af uglen, hvis den stadig er der i morgen.

Why do we use vil in Jeg vil tage et billede instead of skal?

Vil in Danish often expresses a personal intention or will to do something. It’s similar to saying I want to / I will in English. Skal can also indicate future, but it often carries a sense of necessity or obligation—more like I must / I am supposed to.

Why is the article et used before billede, but uglen has en?

In Danish, nouns are either common gender (en-words) or neuter gender (et-words). Billede is a neuter noun, so it takes et. Ugle is a common gender noun (en ugle), and the definite form is uglen with en.

Why do we say af uglen rather than a different preposition?

When you talk about taking a photo of something in Danish, you use the phrase tage et billede af. It literally means take a picture of, so af is the standard preposition here.

Why is hvis used here instead of når?

Hvis means if and introduces a condition that might or might not happen. Når means when and suggests something definite that will happen. Since it’s uncertain whether the owl will still be there, hvis is the correct word.

Why does the sentence use den to refer to the owl?

Danish pronouns must match the noun’s gender. Since uglen is an en-word (common gender), the correct pronoun is den. If it were an et-word, you would use det instead.