Jeg opholder mig gerne i huset, når det regner.

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Breakdown of Jeg opholder mig gerne i huset, når det regner.

• i: in
• huset: the house
• når: when
• det: it
• mig: myself
• opholde: to stay
• gerne: gladly

Questions & Answers about Jeg opholder mig gerne i huset, når det regner.

Why does the sentence use mig with opholder?

In Danish, opholde sig is a reflexive verb, so it typically appears with a reflexive pronoun (mig, dig, sig, os, jer). The pronoun mig corresponds to I in English, so "Jeg opholder mig" literally translates to "I stay (myself)," which is how Danish expresses that you are staying somewhere.

What does gerne mean in this context?

Gerne conveys the sense of "gladly" or "prefer to." So "Jeg opholder mig gerne i huset" suggests you’re saying "I gladly stay in the house" or "I like to stay in the house." It’s a common way to express liking or willingness in Danish.

Why is i huset used instead of something like i hus?

In Danish, definite articles are typically attached to the end of the noun (e.g., hus becomes huset for "the house"). Saying i huset clarifies you’re referring to staying in "the house," not just "in a house." If you said i et hus, you mean "in a house" but not a specific one.

When do I use når instead of hvis?

Når often translates to "when" in a temporal sense, describing something that happens at the same time as something else. For example, "når det regner" = "when it rains." On the other hand, hvis translates to "if," implying a condition. So you would typically say "hvis det regner, så..." when proposing a hypothetical scenario. Use når when you expect the event to happen, and hvis when it’s conditional or uncertain.