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Først skærer jeg et løg med en skarp kniv på skærebrættet.

Først skærer jeg et løg med en skarp kniv på skærebrættet.
First I cut an onion with a sharp knife on the cutting board.
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Questions & Answers about Først skærer jeg et løg med en skarp kniv på skærebrættet.

Why does the sentence start with Først, and what does that do to the word order?

Starting with Først (First) puts an adverbial in the first position. In Danish main clauses, that triggers V2 word order: the finite verb must be the second element in the clause.
So you get Først + skærer + jeg ... (First + cut + I ...), not Først jeg skærer ....

Why is it skærer jeg and not jeg skærer?

Because of V2 as well. When something other than the subject comes first (here Først), the verb comes next, and the subject follows the verb:

  • Først skærer jeg ...
    If the subject comes first, you’d say:
  • Jeg skærer først ... (I cut first ...)
What’s the difference between skærer and skære?
  • skærer is the present tense form (I cut / I am cutting) of at skære.
  • skære is the infinitive (to cut).
    In a normal present-tense statement, Danish uses the present form: jeg skærer.
Why is it jeg and not mig?

Jeg is the subject form (I). Mig is the object form (me).
Here, jeg is doing the action (skærer), so you need the subject pronoun: jeg.

Why is it et løg and not en løg?

Because løg is a common neuter noun (intetkøn), so it takes et: et løg.
Some nouns take en (common gender): e.g., en kniv.

What’s the role of et here—does Danish always use articles like this?

Et is the indefinite article (a/an) for neuter nouns. Danish often uses articles similarly to English, especially for singular countable nouns:

  • et løg = an onion
    In recipes, you might sometimes see article-less forms in headings or shorthand, but full sentences commonly include the article.
Why is it med en skarp kniv—what does med mean here?

Med means with, and here it marks the instrument used to do the action:

  • skærer ... med en skarp kniv = cut ... with a sharp knife
    This is the normal Danish way to express “using” something in everyday language.
Why is it en skarp kniv and not et skarpt kniv?

Because kniv is en-gender (common gender), so adjectives take the -∅ form (no -t) in the singular indefinite:

  • en skarp kniv
    If it were an et-word, the adjective usually takes -t:
  • et skarpt blad (a sharp blade)
Why is the adjective skarp not ending in -e?

The -e ending is typically used with definite nouns or plurals, for example:

  • den skarpe kniv (the sharp knife)
  • skarpe knive (sharp knives)
    But in indefinite singular en/et you usually use the base form (or -t for et-words):
  • en skarp kniv, et skarpt blad
What does på skærebrættet mean literally, and why på?

Literally: on the cutting board. På is used for position on a surface (on).
So på skærebrættet describes where the cutting happens: on the board.

Why is it skærebrættet and not et skærebræt?

Skærebrættet is the definite form: the cutting board. Danish often expresses the by adding a suffix to the noun:

  • et skærebræt = a cutting board
  • skærebrættet = the cutting board
    Here it sounds like a specific board in the situation (e.g., the one you’re using).
How is the definite ending formed here: bræt → brættet?

For many neuter nouns, the definite ending is -et. With bræt, Danish also doubles the final consonant in spelling to reflect the short vowel:

  • bræt
    • -et → brættet
      This is a common spelling pattern: short vowel + consonant often leads to consonant doubling when an ending is added.
Is skærebræt one word? How does Danish handle compounds?

Yes, Danish commonly forms compound nouns as a single word:

  • skære (cutting) + bræt (board) → skærebræt (cutting board)
    The last part (bræt) is the “main” noun; it determines gender and endings: et skærebræt, skærebrættet.
Where does jeg go if I want to keep først but not start with it?

You can place først later in the clause to keep normal subject–verb order:

  • Jeg skærer først et løg ...
    Meaning stays similar; starting with Først often sounds a bit more “step-by-step”, recipe-like.
Can this sentence mean “I am cutting” (present continuous), or only “I cut”?

Danish present tense covers both simple present and present continuous depending on context.
So jeg skærer can mean I cut or I’m cutting. In a recipe or instructions, it commonly functions like I cut / First, cut....

Is Først always the best choice for “first” in instructions?

It’s a very common choice. Another frequent option in instructions is Først or Til at begynde med (to begin with).
Først is short and natural for step-by-step sequences: Først ... så ... til sidst ... (first ... then ... finally ...).

How would you negate this sentence (say you don’t cut the onion)?

You place ikke after the finite verb (and after the subject if the subject follows the verb due to V2):

  • Først skærer jeg ikke et løg ... (First I do not cut an onion ...)
    More naturally in context you might rephrase, but the placement of ikke follows that pattern.
Is et løg pronounced with the soft d or anything tricky?

No soft d here. Typical pronunciation notes:

  • løg has the Danish vowel ø (similar to French eu in deux for many learners, but not identical).
  • The g at the end of løg is often quite soft in many accents, sometimes almost like a glide, depending on speaker and region.