Hvis tøjet er meget snavset, vaskes det med ekstra sæbe.

to be

Breakdown of Hvis tøjet er meget snavset, vaskes det med ekstra sæbe.

• med: with
• meget: very
• hvis: if
• tøjet: the clothes
• snavset: dirty
• vaskes: to be washed
• ekstra: extra
• sæben: the soap

Questions & Answers about Hvis tøjet er meget snavset, vaskes det med ekstra sæbe.

Why do we use Hvis instead of Når in this sentence?

Hvis means if, indicating a condition that may or may not be true. Når means when, which is used for situations considered factual or certain to happen. In this sentence, we’re talking about a conditional scenario: if the clothes are very dirty, then we wash them with extra soap. Therefore, Hvis fits better than Når.

Why is vaskes in the passive voice?

Vaskes is the passive form of vasker (to wash). In Danish, you form the passive by adding an -s to the verb. It indicates that an action is being done to something, without focusing on who performs it. So vaskes means is washed or are washed rather than washes.

What does det refer to in vaskes det med ekstra sæbe?

Det refers to tøjet (the clothes). Rather than repeating tøjet, Danish often uses a pronoun like det in the subsequent part of the sentence. Essentially, it means they/it (the clothes) are washed with extra soap.

How do you pronounce snavset, and why does it have this form?

Snavset is pronounced roughly like /ˈsnɑw.səð/ in Danish (the v can be very soft). It’s the neuter singular form of snavset, meaning dirty. Since tøjet (the clothes) is a neuter-gender singular noun in Danish, tøjet er snavset uses the neuter adjective form.

Why do we say ekstra sæbe instead of another phrasing?

Ekstra is used as an adverb/adjective meaning additional or extra, and sæbe is soap. Together, ekstra sæbe simply emphasizes that more soap than usual is used. It’s a straightforward way in Danish to indicate an increase in quantity or intensity.