Breakdown of Mødet i stuen er forsinket.
i
in
være
to be
stuen
the living room
mødet
the meeting
forsinket
delayed
Questions & Answers about Mødet i stuen er forsinket.
What does the ending -et in Mødet mean?
It’s the definite suffix for neuter nouns.
- Base noun: møde (neuter: et møde = a meeting)
- Definite singular: mødet (= the meeting)
In Danish, the definite article is usually a suffix: -en (common gender) or -et (neuter).
Why is stuen also definite (with -en) in i stuen?
Because you’re referring to a specific, known room.
- stue is a common-gender noun (en stue → stuen).
- i stuen = in the living room (the one that’s contextually known). If you meant any living room in general, you could say i en stue.
Why is the preposition i used here and not på?
Use i for being inside enclosed spaces/rooms: i stuen, i køkkenet. Use på with many workplaces or surfaces: på kontoret, på første sal. So i stuen is the idiomatic choice.
Does stue always mean “living room”?
Mostly, yes. But in housing/real-estate contexts, i stuen can mean “on the ground floor.” In everyday contexts like this sentence, it’s the living room.
What part of speech is forsinket, and why that form?
Forsinket is a past participle used adjectivally, meaning “delayed.” In predicative position (after er), adjectives don’t take a neuter -t ending; the form is just forsinket for singular.
- Singular: Mødet er forsinket.
- Plural: Møderne er forsinkede. Attributively before a noun: en forsinket bus, et forsinket tog, de forsinkede afgange.
Could I say Mødet i stuen er blevet forsinket instead?
Yes.
- er forsinket states a current state: “is delayed.”
- er blevet forsinket emphasizes the change/result: “has (now) become/been delayed.” Both are natural; choose based on whether you want the change to be explicit.
What about bliver: Mødet i stuen bliver forsinket?
That’s also possible. Bliver highlights a process or (near) future: “is getting/will be delayed.” Use it when the delay is developing or expected.
Why is the verb er in second position?
Danish main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb is in the second slot. Here, the first slot is the whole subject phrase Mødet i stuen, and the verb er comes second: [Mødet i stuen] [er] [forsinket].
Can I move i stuen to the end: Mødet er forsinket i stuen?
You can, but it changes focus:
- Mødet i stuen er forsinket identifies which meeting is delayed.
- Mødet er forsinket i stuen tends to read as “The meeting is delayed (there), in the living room,” which is usually odd unless you’re contrasting locations. You can also topicalize: I stuen er mødet forsinket (emphasizing the location).
Why not say Møde i stuen er forsinket without the definite ending?
Because Danish typically marks definiteness. If it’s a specific meeting, use Mødet. If you mean some unspecified meeting, say Et møde i stuen er forsinket (= a meeting …).
What genders are møde and stue?
- møde is neuter: et møde, definite mødet.
- stue is common gender: en stue, definite stuen.
Is the -et in forsinket the same as the neuter definite ending?
No. The -et in forsinket belongs to the participle/adjective itself. It’s unrelated to the noun’s definite suffix. Compare:
- et møde (indefinite article + noun)
- mødet (noun + definite suffix)
- forsinket (adjective/participle form)
How do I make the whole sentence plural?
- Noun plural: møder; definite plural: møderne.
- Adjective plural (predicative): forsinkede. Examples:
- Møderne i stuen er forsinkede.
- Møderne i stuerne er forsinkede. (if both nouns are plural)
Is there a difference between møder (plural noun) and møder (he/she/it meets)?
Yes—same spelling, different meanings:
- Noun plural: møder = meetings.
- Verb (present, 3rd person): møder = meets/arrives. Context disambiguates. Examples:
- Møderne er forsinkede (= the meetings are delayed).
- Hun møder kl. 9 (= she arrives at 9).
How would I say “postponed” instead of “delayed”?
Use udsat:
- State: Mødet i stuen er udsat (= is postponed).
- Resultative: Mødet i stuen er blevet udsat (= has been postponed).
Any quick pronunciation tips for tricky sounds here?
- ø in Mødet: rounded vowel like German ö or French eu (as in deux).
- Soft d in møde/mødet: often a soft, voiced sound (similar to the th in this).
- u in stuen: like long oo.
- er is usually reduced, sounding like a short, unstressed vowel. Focus on rhythm more than spelling; Danish often reduces unstressed syllables.
How could I naturally extend this to give more info?
Common additions:
- Mødet i stuen er forsinket med 10 minutter.
- Mødet i stuen er lidt forsinket.
- Vi beklager forsinkelsen. (We apologize for the delay.)
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