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Eksamen i dansk er snart, og jeg læser hver aften.

Eksamen i dansk er snart, og jeg læser hver aften.
The exam in Danish is soon, and I study every evening.
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Questions & Answers about Eksamen i dansk er snart, og jeg læser hver aften.

Why is there no article before eksamen? Why not En eksamen i dansk er snart?

In Danish, you often leave out the article with certain abstract or institutional nouns when you talk about them in a general way, especially:

  • school-related things: eksamen, skole, undervisning
  • times of day or periods: sommer, vinter, etc. (in some uses)

Eksamen i dansk er snart is like saying “(The) Danish exam is coming up soon” in a neutral, general way. You are talking about the exam period/event as a known thing in this context, not “one exam among many”.

If you say:

  • En eksamen i dansk er snart, it sounds like “A Danish exam is soon” – one of possibly several exams. It’s grammatically correct, but less natural in the typical “my big exam is coming up” context.
Could you also say Danskeksamen er snart instead of Eksamen i dansk er snart?

Yes, Danskeksamen er snart is also possible and quite natural.

The difference in feel:

  • Eksamen i dansk = “exam in Danish (as a subject)”
    • a bit more neutral and textbook-like
  • Danskeksamen (compound noun) = “the Danish exam”
    • often the specific school exam in Danish; very idiomatic in a school context

So:

  • Danskeksamen er snart.
  • Eksamen i dansk er snart.

Both are fine; the first is more like a fixed label for that subject’s exam.

Why is dansk not capitalized like Danish in English?

Danish (like most European languages except German) normally does not capitalize:

  • names of languages: dansk, engelsk, fransk
  • nationalities/adjectives: en dansk mand, engelske bøger

You only capitalize proper nouns, like country names and names of people:

  • Danmark (Denmark)
  • England
  • Peter, Marie

So dansk stays lowercase in eksamen i dansk, even though Danish is capitalized in English.

Why is it i dansk and not på dansk?

The preposition changes the meaning:

  • i dansk = in Danish (as a subject)
    Used with school subjects, exams, grades:

    • eksamen i dansk – exam in Danish
    • undervisning i matematik – teaching in math
    • god til engelsk – good at English (no preposition here, just to show pattern)

  • på dansk = in Danish (as a language)
    Used for the language something is in:

    • en film på dansk – a film in Danish
    • at tale på dansk – to speak in Danish
    • bøger på dansk – books in Danish

So:

  • eksamen i dansk = exam in the subject Danish
  • en tekst på dansk = a text written in the Danish language
Does er snart literally mean “is soon”? Is that normal in Danish?

Yes, er snart is literally “is soon”, and it’s perfectly normal.

English tends to phrase it as:

  • “The exam is coming up soon”
  • “The exam is soon” (also possible)

Danish comfortably says:

  • Eksamen i dansk er snart.
  • Jul er snart. – Christmas is soon.
  • Ferien er snart. – The holiday is soon.

It sounds natural and idiomatic in Danish.

How can er (present tense) talk about the future here?

Danish often uses the simple present tense for future events, especially when there is:

  • a time reference, or
  • clear context that it’s about the future.

Examples:

  • Jeg rejser i morgen. – I (am) travel(ling) tomorrow.
  • Mødet er på fredag. – The meeting is on Friday.
  • Eksamen i dansk er snart. – The Danish exam is soon.

You can also use vil or skal in some contexts, but for scheduled or clearly expected events, the present tense is very common and natural.

Does jeg læser mean “I read” or “I study” here?

It can mean both, depending on context.

The verb at læse basically means to read, but:

  • In an educational context, especially without an object, jeg læser = I study.

    • Jeg læser hver aften. – I study every evening.
    • Jeg læser til eksamen. – I’m studying for the exam.

  • When you specify what you read, it usually means literally reading:

    • Jeg læser en bog. – I’m reading a book.
    • Jeg læser avisen. – I’m reading the newspaper.

In this sentence, because it talks about an exam, jeg læser hver aften is naturally understood as “I study every evening.”

Why is it hver aften and not hver aftenen?

After hver (every/each), the noun is always in the indefinite singular form, without an article or -en/-et ending:

  • hver dag – every day
  • hver uge – every week
  • hver måned – every month
  • hver aften – every evening

You do not say:

  • ✗ hver aftenen
  • ✗ hver dagen
  • ✗ hver ugen

So hver aften is the only correct form here.

Is the word order jeg læser hver aften fixed, or can it change?

The given order is the most neutral:

  • Jeg læser hver aften. – subject (jeg) + verb (læser) + time expression (hver aften).

You can move hver aften to the front for emphasis on when:

  • Hver aften læser jeg.

This is also correct, but then Danish follows the V2 (verb-second) rule:

  • When something other than the subject is first (here hver aften), the verb (læser) must come second, and the subject (jeg) moves after the verb.

You cannot say:

  • ✗ Hver aften jeg læser. (wrong word order)
Why is there a comma before og in ..., og jeg læser hver aften?

In Danish, a comma is normally used before og when it joins two full main clauses (each with its own subject and verb):

  1. Eksamen i dansk er snart
    – subject: eksamen i dansk, verb: er
  2. jeg læser hver aften
    – subject: jeg, verb: læser

Since og connects two full clauses, a comma before og is standard:

  • Eksamen i dansk er snart, og jeg læser hver aften.

If og only connects two words or phrases (not full clauses), there is no comma:

  • Jeg læser bøger og artikler. (no comma – just two objects)