Lad os handle ind i supermarkedet, før vi laver aftensmad.

Let’s shop for groceries in the supermarket before we make dinner.

Breakdown of Lad os handle ind i supermarkedet, før vi laver aftensmad.

• i: in
• vi: we
• før: before
• aftensmaden: the dinner
• lave: to make
• lad os: let's
• supermarkedet: the supermarket
• handle ind: to shop

Questions & Answers about Lad os handle ind i supermarkedet, før vi laver aftensmad.

What does Lad os literally mean, and how is it used compared to English let's?

Lad os literally means let us (imperative of lade + os = us), and it’s the normal way to say let’s in Danish.

Structure:

• Lad os + infinitive
  
  • Lad os gå. – Let’s go.
  • Lad os handle ind. – Let’s do the shopping.

You generally cannot drop os; Lad handle ind would be wrong.
Tone-wise, Lad os … sounds like a friendly suggestion, just like English let’s ….

Why is it handle ind and not just handle? What’s the difference between handle, handle ind, and købe ind?

All three involve buying, but they’re not used in the same way.

• handle on its own: to trade / to shop (in general)

  • Jeg handler i den butik. – I shop / do business in that shop.
  • Han handler med biler. – He trades in cars.

• handle ind: to do (household) shopping, usually groceries

  • Focus on doing the shopping run, not just buying one item.
  • Vi skal handle ind i dag. – We need to do the shopping today.

• købe ind: very close to handle ind, also to shop for groceries / do the shopping.

  • Many Danes use handle ind and købe ind almost interchangeably in everyday speech.

In Lad os handle ind i supermarkedet, handle ind emphasizes doing the grocery shopping, not just buying a single thing.

Why is it i supermarkedet and not på supermarkedet or til supermarkedet?

The choice of preposition is mostly idiomatic:

• i supermarkedet – in the supermarket, i.e. inside the building. This is what you want when you talk about shopping there.
• på supermarkedet – sounds wrong in standard Danish in this context.
• til supermarkedet – to the supermarket (direction, destination).
  
  • Vi går til supermarkedet. – We’re going to the supermarket.

In your sentence, the focus is on shopping inside the supermarket, so i supermarkedet is the natural choice.

Why is it supermarkedet (definite) and not just supermarked or et supermarked?

Supermarked is a neuter noun:

• et supermarked – a supermarket (indefinite)
• supermarkedet – the supermarket (definite)

In everyday Danish, when talking about going to the local / usual supermarket, people often use the definite form, even if English might just say the supermarket with a similar feel of “the one we normally go to”.

Alternatives:

• i et supermarked – in a supermarket, more generic, like in some supermarket or other, not a particular one.
• i supermarked (without et/et) is ungrammatical.

So i supermarkedet here feels like “at the supermarket (you and I know/assume)” – natural for a concrete plan.

Why is there a comma before før? Is it always needed?

In modern Danish punctuation, you have two main systems:

1. Startkomma (traditional) – you must put a comma before most subordinate clauses, including ones starting with før.

   • Lad os handle ind i supermarkedet, før vi laver aftensmad.

2. Nyt komma (modern) – you may skip that comma if you want to.

   • Lad os handle ind i supermarkedet før vi laver aftensmad.

Both versions are accepted today. Many Danes still use the comma before før, so the sentence you have is perfectly standard.

Why is it før vi laver aftensmad and not før laver vi aftensmad?

This is about main-clause vs. subordinate-clause word order.

• In main clauses, Danish usually has verb-second (V2):

  • Så laver vi aftensmad. – Then we make dinner.
    (Adverb så, then laver, then vi.)

• In subordinate clauses (introduced by før, at, fordi, etc.), Danish does not use V2; the subject comes before the verb:

  • før vi laver aftensmad – before we make dinner
    (før
    • vi
      • laver)

So:

• ✅ før vi laver aftensmad – correct subordinate clause word order
• ❌ før laver vi aftensmad – incorrect; it wrongly uses main‑clause V2 order inside a subordinate clause.

What is the difference between før and inden here? Could you say inden vi laver aftensmad?

Both før and inden can mean before, but there are tendencies:

• før:

  • Very common, neutral before (in time).
  • Works well with full clauses.
  • før vi laver aftensmad – before we make dinner.

• inden:

  • Often feels a bit more like before (something happens / before doing something), sometimes slightly more formal or emphatic.
  • Also used on its own: Kom inden! – Come in(side)!

In this sentence, you can absolutely say:

• Lad os handle ind i supermarkedet, inden vi laver aftensmad.

Both are correct. Many speakers would not feel a big difference in meaning here; før is maybe a touch more neutral/colloquial.

Why is it laver aftensmad? Could you use another verb, and can aftensmad also mean to have dinner?

Lave aftensmad literally means make dinner (prepare it).

Common options:

• lave aftensmad – make dinner (very common, neutral)

  • Jeg laver aftensmad. – I’m making dinner.

• lave mad – cook (in general)

  • Vi laver mad. – We’re cooking.

• tilberede aftensmad – prepare dinner (more formal/technical).

You would not say gøre aftensmad or koge aftensmad in this meaning.

Also, Danish often uses just the meal word to mean have/eat that meal:

• Vi spiser aftensmad. – We eat dinner / We’re having dinner.
• Vi skal have aftensmad kl. 18. – We’re having dinner at 6 p.m.

So:

• lave aftensmad = make/prepare dinner
• have/spise aftensmad = have/eat dinner

Why is aftensmad written as one word? Is that typical in Danish?

Yes. Danish loves compounds: multiple words written together as one new word.

Here:

• aften – evening
• mad – food
• aftensmad – literally evening food, i.e. dinner.

Other everyday examples:

• morgenmad – breakfast (morgen
  • mad)
• frokostpause – lunch break (frokost
  • pause)
• supermarked – supermarket (super
  • marked)

In Danish, if two words together form a fixed concept, they’re usually written as one compound word.

Is aftensmad the same as middag? Which one means “dinner”?

Today, in standard contemporary Danish:

• aftensmad – usually the main evening meal, so closest to English dinner.
• middag – can also mean a main hot meal, sometimes a bit more formal, or in some dialects/older usage the main meal of the day (which used to be earlier).

Typical modern everyday speech:

• Vi skal have aftensmad. – We’re having dinner (evening meal).

People still say things like:

• komme til middag – come to dinner (somewhat more formal-sounding).

But for a simple daily sentence like yours, aftensmad is the normal choice for dinner.

Is there a difference in nuance between Lad os handle ind … and Skal vi handle ind …?

Yes, a small nuance:

• Lad os handle ind i supermarkedet …

  • More of a proposal / suggestion with some initiative:
    “Let’s do the shopping (I think we should).”

• Skal vi handle ind i supermarkedet …?

  • Literally: Shall we do the shopping …?
  • Feels a bit more like asking for agreement, slightly more open/unsure.

Both are friendly and very common. In many situations they overlap, but:

• Lad os … leans a bit towards “Come on, let’s do this.”
• Skal vi …? leans a bit towards “What do you think, should we…?”

How do you pronounce some of the tricky words like før, aftensmad, and supermarkedet?

Approximate pronunciations (standard Danish, given loosely in IPA and with an English-style hint):

• før – /føɐ̯/

  • Similar to “fur” but with rounded lips and a shorter, tighter vowel. No clear r at the end; it’s more of a vowel-plus-glide.

• aftensmad – roughly /ˈɑfdn̩sˌmæð/ (pronunciation varies by region)

  • af: like “ah” but short.
  • tens: the t is often softened, and the e is very unstressed, so it can sound like a weak dn cluster.
  • mad: in isolation mad is /mæːð/, but in aftensmad the final consonant is often softened, sounding like a soft th or even disappearing.

• supermarkedet – roughly /ˈsuːpɐˌmɑːɡð̩/

  • su: like “soo”.
  • per: weak, almost like “puh”.
  • mark: long a like in British “mark”, but with a softer k.
  • -et: very reduced; often just a weak, almost swallowed syllable.

Danish often reduces and softens consonants, especially d at the end of syllables, which is why these can sound very different from how they look.