Jeg opholder mig i haven om eftermiddagen.

I stay in the garden in the afternoon.

Breakdown of Jeg opholder mig i haven om eftermiddagen.

• jeg: I
• i: in
• haven: the garden
• om: in
• eftermiddagen: the afternoon
• opholde mig: to stay

Questions & Answers about Jeg opholder mig i haven om eftermiddagen.

Why do we say opholder mig instead of just opholder?

In Danish, reflexive verbs are often used where English might not. Opholder mig is the reflexive form of opholde, meaning to stay or to remain, emphasizing that the action returns to the subject (yourself). It sounds more natural in Danish to say jeg opholder mig than jeg opholder when talking about staying somewhere.

What does om eftermiddagen mean literally, and how is it used?

Om eftermiddagen literally translates to in/at the afternoon. The preposition om is used with parts of the day to indicate a habitual or general time period (e.g., om morgenen, om aftenen). It’s a standard way to say in the afternoon when describing when something happens regularly.

Why is the phrase i haven used instead of something like på haven?

In Danish, i typically means in when referring to an enclosed space or area. A garden (en have) can be considered an enclosed area. På is often used for open or flat surfaces, or with some specific locations like islands or institutions. Therefore, i haven is correct for states of being inside the garden.

How would you put this sentence in the past tense?

To express that you stayed in the garden yesterday afternoon, you could say:
Jeg opholdt mig i haven i går eftermiddags.
Notice that opholder changes to the past tense form opholdt, and i går eftermiddags indicates a specific time in the past.