Mødet i stuen er forsinket.

The meeting in the living room is delayed.

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.)