Når jeg vil lave mad i køkkenet, dækker jeg bordet med tallerkener og glas.

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Breakdown of Når jeg vil lave mad i køkkenet, dækker jeg bordet med tallerkener og glas.

• og: and
• i: in
• glasset: the glass
• bordet: the table
• når: when
• med: with
• køkkenet: the kitchen
• ville: to want
• lave mad: to cook
• tallerkenen: the plate

Questions & Answers about Når jeg vil lave mad i køkkenet, dækker jeg bordet med tallerkener og glas.

Why does the sentence use vil in Når jeg vil lave mad instead of skal?

In Danish, vil can mean want to or intend to, whereas skal often translates to must or have to. Saying Når jeg vil lave mad implies that you are deciding to cook or have the desire to cook. If you said Når jeg skal lave mad, it would suggest an obligation or requirement rather than a choice.

What does dækker bordet mean, and can I use sætter bordet or lægger bordet?

In Danish, dækker bordet literally means to cover the table. It’s the common way to say to set the table. Saying sætter bordet or lægger bordet would sound unusual in this context, as these verbs carry other nuances: sætter can mean to place something, and lægger means to lay something down.

Why are tallerkener and glas in the plural form here?

Danish, like English, uses plural forms when talking about multiple items. Tallerkener (plates) is the plural of tallerken, and glas (glasses) can serve as both singular and plural (though there is a less common separate plural form glasset for the definite singular, and glassene for the definite plural). In this sentence, it implies you’re using more than one plate and more than one glass.

When do I use når versus da in Danish?

Når is used for present and future contexts or for repeated actions in the past, similar to when in English for general or habitual situations. Da is used for singular events in the past. Since this sentence describes a repeated action (what happens whenever you want to cook), når is appropriate.

Is the word order flexible, or can I place i køkkenet somewhere else in the sentence?

Danish has relatively flexible word order, but certain rules apply. You could say Når jeg vil lave mad, dækker jeg i køkkenet bordet med tallerkener og glas, yet it might sound slightly awkward. Typically, you place i køkkenet either at the beginning or after the main clause, keeping the sentence flow more natural.