Vejen er glat, når sneen falder.

The road is slippery when the snow falls.

Breakdown of Vejen er glat, når sneen falder.

• være: to be
• når: when
• sneen: the snow
• falde: to fall
• glat: slippery
• vejen: the road

Questions & Answers about Vejen er glat, når sneen falder.

Why is the verb falder in the present tense instead of the past tense?

In Danish, you use the present tense falder (falls) to indicate a habitual action or a general condition that happens whenever it snows. Even if you might translate it into English as "when it snows," Danish still keeps the present tense to convey an ongoing or recurring action.

Why do we use når instead of da?

Når is used for habitual or repeated actions in the present or future, like "whenever it snows." Da is more commonly used when referring to a specific moment or event in the past, like "when it snowed that day."

Is the word order the same in Danish as in English?

Yes, in this case, the sentence structure is quite similar. The subject (Vejen) is followed by the verb (er) and the adjective (glat). Then you have the subordinate clause introduced by når: subject (sneen) plus verb (falder). Danish often places the verb early, but here it parallels English fairly closely.

Why is it glat and not glatte?

Danish adjectives can have different forms depending on whether the noun is singular, plural, definite, or indefinite. Glat is the singular, indefinite form used here with vejen, which is singular and definite but does not use an article requiring a different adjective form. If it were referring to multiple roads, you might see glatte veje.

Why is vejen definite instead of indefinite?

In Danish, the definite form is often used for specific nouns. Here, vejen suggests it’s “the road” in a general sense (the one you’re currently on or roads in general). Danish tends to use the definite form more frequently than English, which might say “Roads are slippery.” But in Danish, saying vejen er glat feels natural when referring to roads in general.