Questions & Answers about Lad os male et maleri til festen.
Lad os literally means “let us”.
- Lad is the imperative (command form) of the verb at lade (“to let / to allow”).
- os means “us”.
Together, Lad os is a fixed expression used to make inclusive suggestions, like English “let’s”:
- Lad os male et maleri til festen. = “Let’s paint a painting for the party.”
Grammatically, Lad os is followed directly by the infinitive of the verb (male), without at:
- ✅ Lad os male…
- ❌ Lad os at male… (wrong)
After Lad os, Danish uses the infinitive form of the verb, without at.
- male = infinitive (“to paint”)
- maler = present tense (“paint(s) / am painting”)
Compare:
- Suggestion: Lad os male et maleri. – “Let’s paint a painting.”
- Statement: Vi maler et maleri. – “We are painting / we paint a painting.”
So Lad os + infinitive is the pattern, just like let’s + verb in English.