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Jeg er klar til at tage toget.

Jeg er klar til at tage toget.
I am ready to take the train.

Breakdown of Jeg er klar til at tage toget.

jeg
I
være
to be
til
to
at
to
tage
to take
toget
the train
klar
bright
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Questions & Answers about Jeg er klar til at tage toget.

Why do we need both til and at in klar til at tage? Why not just one of them?

In Danish, this pattern is normal:

  • klar til at + infinitive

Here’s what each word does:

  • til = a preposition (literally to/for), connecting klar (ready) with an action.
  • at = infinitive marker, like to in English to take.

So you must keep both:

  • ✅ Jeg er klar til at tage toget.
  • ❌ Jeg er klar at tage toget. (wrong – missing til)
  • ❌ Jeg er klar til tage toget. (wrong – missing at)

Other similar patterns:

  • Jeg er bange for at flyve. – I am afraid to fly.
  • Jeg har lyst til at spise. – I feel like eating.
What is the role of at in at tage?

At marks the infinitive of the verb, just like to in English to take.

  • tage = the infinitive form (take).
  • at tage = to take.

You use at + infinitive after many verbs, adjectives, and expressions:

  • Jeg prøver at lære dansk. – I am trying to learn Danish.
  • Det er svært at forklare. – It is hard to explain.
  • Hun elsker at læse. – She loves to read.

Because tage is in the infinitive here, you must have at before it.

Why is it tage and not tager in this sentence?

Tage is the infinitive; tager is present tense.

  • at tage = (to) take
  • jeg tager = I take / I am taking

After at, you must use the infinitive:

  • ✅ Jeg er klar til at tage toget.
  • ❌ Jeg er klar til at tager toget.

So:

  • Jeg tager toget. – main verb: present tense.
  • Jeg er klar til at tage toget. – er is the main verb; tage is in an infinitive phrase.
Why is it toget and not et tog or just tog?

Tog is a neuter noun:

  • et tog – a train (indefinite singular)
  • toget – the train (definite singular)
  • tog – trains (indefinite plural)
  • togene – the trains (definite plural)

In Jeg er klar til at tage toget, toget means the train – a specific or known train (for example, the one that is coming soon, or the one you usually take).

You could say:

  • Jeg er klar til at tage et tog. – I am ready to take a train (any train, not specified).
  • Jeg tager toget til arbejde. – I take the train to work (a habitual, specific way of commuting).

Using the definite form is very common when you mean going by train in a concrete situation, even if you did not mention the train earlier.

Is there a difference between tage toget and tage med toget?

Both are possible, but there is a small nuance:

  • tage toget – literally take the train; very standard way to say you are travelling by train.
  • tage med toget – literally go along with the train; emphasises going with the train as a passenger.

In practice:

  • Jeg tager toget til København.
  • Jeg tager med toget til København.

Both are correct and almost interchangeable; tage toget is a bit shorter and more common in everyday speech.

Can I leave out til at and say Jeg er klar tage toget or Jeg er klar og tager toget?

  1. Jeg er klar tage toget

    • ❌ Ungrammatical.
    • Danish needs til at here: klar til at + infinitive.

  2. Jeg er klar og tager toget

    • ✅ Grammatically correct, but different meaning.
    • Means: I am ready and (I) take the train – two separate statements:
      • you are ready
      • and you (now) take the train

Jeg er klar til at tage toget focuses on your readiness for that specific action (taking the train).
Jeg er klar og tager toget sounds more like a narrative sequence: I’m ready, and then I take the train.

Could I say Jeg er parat til at tage toget instead of Jeg er klar til at tage toget? Any difference?

Yes, you can:

  • Jeg er klar til at tage toget.
  • Jeg er parat til at tage toget.

Both are correct and very close in meaning: ready to take the train.

Nuance:

  • klar – most common in everyday spoken Danish; neutral, friendly.
  • parat – slightly more formal or serious; often about being prepared (mentally or practically), e.g. in instructions, school exercises, or emergency contexts.

In normal conversation, klar is more frequent:

  • Er du klar? – Are you ready?
Does klar here mean “clear” or “ready”? What kinds of “ready” does it cover?

Here, klar means ready, not clear.

In Danish, klar has two main uses:

  1. ready

    • Jeg er klar. – I am ready.
    • Er du klar til at gå? – Are you ready to go?

  2. clear / obvious

    • Det er helt klart. – That is completely clear.
    • Vandet er klart. – The water is clear.

In Jeg er klar til at tage toget, it means you are prepared (physically, mentally, or practically) to take the train.

Why is the word order Jeg er klar til at tage toget? Could the words move around?

Danish main clause word order is basically:

  • Subject – Verb – (rest)

So:

  • Jeg (subject)
  • er (finite verb)
  • klar til at tage toget (complement phrase)

You cannot move the infinitive phrase in front of er:

  • ❌ Jeg klar til at tage toget er.
  • ❌ Jeg er til at tage toget klar.

The infinitive phrase til at tage toget belongs after klar, which it describes. So the natural order is exactly:

  • Jeg er klar [til at tage toget].
How do you pronounce jeg, tage, and toget in normal Danish speech?

Approximate standard pronunciations (they vary a bit by region):

  • jeg – [jɑj] or [jɐj]

    • Often sounds like a short “yai”.

  • tage – [ˈtæːə]

    • The g is not a hard g; it’s a soft, almost disappearing sound.
    • Roughly like “TA-eh” in one smooth syllable.

  • toget – [ˈtoːð̩] or [ˈtoːəð]

    • Long o like in English “toe”.
    • g is silent; d is soft (not like English d, more like a soft th or a weak flap).

So the whole sentence might sound roughly like:

  • [jɑj ʌ kʰlɑː ʈʰil ɑ ˈtæːə ˈtoːð̩]

Learners often find the soft d and the disappearing g tricky, but they are very typical features of spoken Danish.