Efter filmen danser nogle af vennerne udenfor biografen.

After the movie, some of the friends dance outside the cinema.

Breakdown of Efter filmen danser nogle af vennerne udenfor biografen.

• af: of
• vennen: the friend
• efter: after
• udenfor: outside
• nogle: some
• filmen: the movie
• biografen: the cinema
• danse: to dance

Questions & Answers about Efter filmen danser nogle af vennerne udenfor biografen.

Why does danser come right after Efter filmen and before nogle af vennerne?

Danish main clauses follow a verb‑second (V2) rule: the finite verb must be in the second position in the sentence.

Here, Efter filmen (a time phrase) is put first for emphasis. That whole phrase counts as position 1, so danser must come in position 2:

1. Efter filmen
2. danser
3. nogle af vennerne
4. udenfor biografen

If you start with the subject instead, you also keep V2:

• Nogle af vennerne danser efter filmen udenfor biografen.

In both versions, the finite verb (danser) is in second position.

Could I say Efter filmen nogle af vennerne danser udenfor biografen?

No. That breaks the V2 rule.

In a main clause, you cannot have both Efter filmen and nogle af vennerne before the finite verb. One complete element can come before the verb; the verb must then come.

✅ Correct:

• Efter filmen danser nogle af vennerne udenfor biografen.
• Nogle af vennerne danser efter filmen udenfor biografen.

❌ Incorrect:

• Efter filmen nogle af vennerne danser udenfor biografen.

Why isn’t there a comma after Efter filmen?

Modern standard Danish normally does not use a comma after a simple fronted adverbial like Efter filmen in a main clause.

So:

• Efter filmen danser nogle af vennerne udenfor biografen. ✅

You would use a comma if a subordinate clause came first, e.g.:

• Når filmen er slut, danser nogle af vennerne udenfor biografen.

Here Når filmen er slut is a whole subordinate clause, so a comma is required. But Efter filmen is just a prepositional phrase, not a clause, so no comma.

Why is it filmen and not film?

Filmen is the definite form of film:

• en film = a film
• filmen = the film

Danish usually marks definiteness with a suffix on the noun rather than a separate word:

• ven → vennen (friend → the friend)
• biograf → biografen (cinema → the cinema)

In this sentence, the speaker is talking about a specific, known film, so the definite form filmen is used.

Why is the present tense danser used, when in English I might say “will dance”?

Danish often uses the present tense to talk about future events, especially when the time is clear from context or from a time expression like efter filmen.

So:

• Efter filmen danser nogle af vennerne udenfor biografen.

can naturally refer to a future plan, similar to English:

• “After the movie, some of the friends will dance outside the cinema.”

You can add vil in Danish (vil danse) if you want to stress intention or prediction, but it is not required here.

What is the difference between nogle venner and nogle af vennerne?

They mean different things:

• nogle venner = some friends (unspecified friends, not tied to a particular known group)
• nogle af vennerne = some of the friends (a subset of a specific, known group of friends)

In the sentence, nogle af vennerne suggests that we already know which friend group we are talking about, and only some of them dance.

Why do we need af in nogle af vennerne? Could it be nogle vennerne?

You need af to show the “part of a group” meaning:

• nogle af vennerne literally: some of the friends
• Without af, nogle vennerne is simply wrong in Danish.

The pattern is:

• nogle af + definite plural noun
  
  • nogle af børnene (some of the children)
  • nogle af bøgerne (some of the books)
  • nogle af vennerne (some of the friends)

Why is it vennerne and not just venner after af?

Because you are referring to a specific group of friends, and you are taking some out of that known group.

Structure:

• ven = friend
• venner = friends
• vennerne = the friends

When you say nogle af X, X is usually definite:

• nogle af børnene (some of the children)
• nogle af bilerne (some of the cars)
• nogle af vennerne (some of the friends)

So nogle af venner would be ungrammatical, and nogle af vennerne is the correct form.

How does the plural of ven work here?

The patterns are:

• en ven = a friend
• vennen = the friend
• venner = friends
• vennerne = the friends

In the sentence, you have vennerne in nogle af vennerne, which is definite plural: the friends.

The meaning is: some (nogle) of the friends (vennerne).

Is udenfor biografen one word or two? Could I write uden for biografen?

Both udenfor biografen and uden for biografen are used in modern Danish, and both are accepted in practice.

Rough guideline:

• udenfor often works as an adverb or preposition:
  
  • De er udenfor. (They are outside.)
  • De står udenfor huset. (They are standing outside the house.)
• Some style guides prefer uden for when it clearly functions as a preposition before a noun phrase, but actual usage often allows udenfor there too.

So in your sentence:

• Efter filmen danser nogle af vennerne udenfor biografen. ✅
• Efter filmen danser nogle af vennerne uden for biografen. ✅

Both are understandable and used.

What is the difference between udenfor and foran in this kind of sentence?

They express different spatial relations:

• udenfor biografen = outside the cinema, i.e. not inside the building
• foran biografen = in front of the cinema, i.e. at the front side/entrance area

So:

• De danser udenfor biografen.
  Focus: they are not inside the cinema.

• De danser foran biografen.
  Focus: they are at the front side/entrance of the cinema (could still be outside, but emphasizes the front).

Can I move the time and place around and still be correct? For example: Nogle af vennerne danser udenfor biografen efter filmen?

Yes. Danish word order is fairly flexible with adverbials (time, place, manner), as long as you keep the V2 rule and the sentence remains natural.

All of these are possible:

• Efter filmen danser nogle af vennerne udenfor biografen.
• Nogle af vennerne danser efter filmen udenfor biografen.
• Nogle af vennerne danser udenfor biografen efter filmen.

They all keep the finite verb (danser) in second position and are grammatically correct. The changes mainly affect emphasis and rhythm, not basic meaning.