Når risene er færdige, slukker jeg for komfuret og sætter gryden til side.

When the rice is done, I turn off the stove and set the pot aside.

Breakdown of Når risene er færdige, slukker jeg for komfuret og sætter gryden til side.

• jeg: I
• og: and
• være: to be
• når: when
• sætte: to set
• gryden: the pot
• risene: the rice
• færdig: done
• slukke for: to turn off
• komfuret: the stove
• til side: aside

Questions & Answers about Når risene er færdige, slukker jeg for komfuret og sætter gryden til side.

Why does the sentence start with Når and what does that do to the meaning/grammar?

Når introduces a time clause meaning when (often for something expected, repeated, or generally true). It sets up the condition/time frame for the main clause: once the rice is done, I do X and Y.
Grammar-wise, a Når-clause is a subordinate clause, which affects word order inside that clause (see another question below).

Why is there a comma after færdige?

In Danish it’s standard to put a comma between a subordinate clause and the main clause when the subordinate clause comes first:
Når risene er færdige, + main clause.
Some people use slightly different comma systems, but this comma is very common and correct.

Why is it risene and not ris?

Ris can be used as an uncountable mass noun (like English rice), but Danish also often uses plural for types/portions of grains: risene = the rice (you’re cooking) / the grains.
Here risene (definite plural) refers to the specific rice in the pot.

What does er færdige mean, and why is færdige plural?

at være færdig = to be finished / done / ready.
Because the subject is risene (plural), the adjective takes the plural form:

• en ting er færdig (singular)
• flere ting er færdige (plural)
  So risene er færdige = the rice is done.

Why is the verb er placed before færdige?

Because this is the verb at være (to be) plus an adjective complement: er færdige = are done.
It’s the same structure as English are ready/done.

Why does the main clause have slukker jeg and not jeg slukker?

Because the sentence begins with the subordinate clause (Når...), the main clause follows the Danish V2 rule: the finite verb comes in the second position in the main clause.
So after Når risene er færdige, the next element is the verb: slukker, then the subject: jeg.
If you started with the subject, you’d get normal order: Jeg slukker for komfuret, når risene er færdige.

What does slukker ... for mean, and why is for there?

at slukke for = to turn off (something) (electricity, a stove, a light, etc.).
The for is part of the verb phrase in this meaning. Compare:

• slukke lyset is also possible, but slukke for lyset is extremely common.
  So slukker jeg for komfuret = I turn off the stove.

What is the difference between komfur and komfuret?

komfur = a stove / stove top (indefinite)
komfuret = the stove (definite)
Here it’s a specific stove in the context (the one you’re using), so Danish uses the definite form komfuret.

Why is it sætter and not something like lægger or stiller?

at sætte is a very common verb meaning to set/put (something) down/into position, especially when placing something somewhere.

• sætte gryden = put/set the pot (down)
• stille can also mean to place/stand something, but sætte ... til side is a very fixed, idiomatic combination.

What does til side mean in sætter gryden til side?

til side means aside / to the side / out of the way.
So sætter gryden til side = I set the pot aside (often meaning you remove it from heat and let it rest).

Why is it gryden (definite) and not en gryde?

Because it refers to the pot already known from context: the pot you cooked the rice in. Danish often uses the definite form when something is contextually definite: gryden = the pot.

Why are both verbs (slukker and sætter) in the present tense? Isn’t this about the future?

Danish often uses the present tense for actions that happen in a routine sequence or near-future situation, especially in instructions/narration:
When the rice is done, I turn off the stove and set the pot aside.
English also does something similar in time clauses (When it’s done, I turn it off...).

What’s the word order inside the Når-clause: why risene er færdige and not something else?

In a subordinate clause introduced by Når, Danish typically keeps subject + finite verb order (unlike main-clause V2 movement):
Når risene er færdige (subject risene + verb er).
The V2 “inversion” effect happens in the main clause after the comma, not inside the Når-clause.

How would I pronounce some tricky parts: Når, risene, færdige, komfuret, gryden?

Approximate guidance (varies by dialect):

• Når: like nor with a Danish å-sound (more open), often [nɔˀ].
• risene: REE-suh-nuh (the final -e is very reduced).
• færdige: roughly FAIR-dee-uh (again reduced endings).
• komfuret: roughly kom-FOO-ret with reduced final syllable.
• gryden: roughly GRYOO-then (soft d can sound like a “th”-ish sound in many accents).