Learn Hardcore Danish: Jeg skulle hente pakken på posthuset. - I was supposed to pick up the package at the post office.

obligation/requirement: I had to pick up the package
expectation/plan: I was supposed to pick up the package Context decides which nuance is intended. Danish often leaves this ambiguous unless you add something like …men jeg nåede det ikke (…but I didn’t manage it) or …og det gjorde jeg (…and I did).

Does this sentence imply that I actually picked up the package?

Not necessarily. Jeg skulle hente pakken can be used either to set up a plan in a story or to describe an obligation. If you want to clearly state that you did it, use a simple past of the action: Jeg hentede pakken på posthuset or Jeg fik hentet pakken (I managed to pick up the package). To show it didn’t happen, say Jeg skulle have hentet pakken, men…

What’s the difference between jeg skulle hente and jeg skulle have hentet?

Jeg skulle hente… = past obligation/plan (may or may not have happened).
Jeg skulle have hentet… = an obligation/plan that should have been completed but wasn’t (roughly English was supposed to have picked up / should have picked up).

Why is there no at before hente?

After modal verbs (like skulle, ville, kunne, måtte, burde), Danish uses the bare infinitive without at. So it’s Jeg skulle hente…, not Jeg skulle at hente…

How is skulle different from måtte?

skulle: obligation/plan/expectation (external schedule, instructions, arrangement) or future-in-the-past.
- Jeg skulle hente pakken = I was supposed to / had to pick it up.
måtte: necessity or compulsion (often stronger, like “was forced/needed to”).
- Jeg måtte hente pakken = I needed/was forced to pick it up (no other choice).

What exactly does hente mean? Could I say afhente?

hente = go get / pick up / fetch (everyday, neutral).
afhente = collect/pick up (more formal, often used in written notices). You’ll hear both. In speech, hente is most common. Don’t use samle op here; that means physically pick something up from the ground.

Why is it pakken and not pakke?

Danish marks definiteness with a suffix:

en pakke = a package (indefinite, common gender)
pakken = the package (definite) The sentence talks about a specific, known package, so pakken is required.

Why is it på posthuset and not i or til posthuset?

på posthuset = at the post office (institutional location; common with places like schools, offices, hospitals: på arbejde, på hospitalet, på universitetet).
i posthuset = inside the building (literal interior).
til posthuset = to the post office (movement/direction). Your sentence focuses on where the pickup happens, so på is natural. If you want to emphasize going there, you could say Jeg skulle til posthuset for at hente pakken.

Why the definite form posthuset?

Because it’s referring to a specific post office. The noun posthus is neuter:

et posthus = a post office
posthuset = the post office Note the definite suffix attaches to the last element of the compound (hus).

How would I replace pakken with a pronoun?

Use den (because pakke is common gender): Jeg skulle hente den på posthuset. With negation, the object pronoun stays after ikke: Jeg skulle ikke hente den.

Where does ikke go if I want to negate the sentence?

Place ikke after the finite verb (skulle):

Jeg skulle ikke hente pakken på posthuset. If you front a time/place element, the verb still stays second and ikke follows the subject:
I går skulle jeg ikke hente pakken.

How do I ask a yes/no question with this sentence?

Invert the finite verb and the subject:

Skulle du hente pakken på posthuset? For a wh-question, front the question word:
Hvor skulle du hente pakken? (Where were you supposed to pick up the package?)
Hvornår skulle du hente pakken? (When…?)

Can I move på posthuset elsewhere in the sentence?

Yes, but keep Danish word order in mind:

Neutral: Jeg skulle hente pakken på posthuset.
Time fronted: I går skulle jeg hente pakken på posthuset.
You can also say: Jeg skulle på posthuset og hente pakken (go to the post office and pick it up). Avoid Jeg skulle på posthuset hente pakken—it sounds awkward in most contexts.

What are some natural alternatives that mean roughly the same thing?

Jeg skulle hente pakken i pakkeshoppen. (common in modern Denmark)
Jeg skulle forbi posthuset for at hente pakken.
More formal: Jeg skulle afhente pakken på posthuset.

Is posthuset still the typical pickup place today?

Often, parcels are collected at a pakkeshop (parcel shop) inside a supermarket or kiosk. You’ll hear:

i pakkeshoppen
i pakkeshop
hos 7-Eleven / hos Coop / hos PostNord (brand or company names use hos) But på posthuset is perfectly clear and correct.

Any quick pronunciation tips for these words?

Jeg ≈ “yai” (the g is not pronounced; a glide at the end).
skulle ≈ “SKUL-leh” (short “oo” like in “book”; two syllables).
hente ≈ “HEN-teh” (clear t).
pakken ≈ “PAK-en” (the g is a hard k sound).
posthuset ≈ “POST-hoo-seth” (final -et has a soft d sound like the th in “the”). Don’t worry about being perfect—Danish reduces a lot in casual speech.