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Jeg steger også kartofler på panden, fordi de bliver sprøde.

Jeg steger også kartofler på panden, fordi de bliver sprøde.
I also fry potatoes in the pan because they become crispy.

Breakdown of Jeg steger også kartofler på panden, fordi de bliver sprøde.

jeg
I
på
on
blive
to become
fordi
because
også
also
de
they
kartoflen
the potato
stege
to fry
panden
the pan
sprød
crispy
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Questions & Answers about Jeg steger også kartofler på panden, fordi de bliver sprøde.

Why is it Jeg steger and not something like Jeg stege?

Because Danish verbs conjugate for tense (not for person). steger is present tense of at stege (to fry/pan-fry/saute).

  • Infinitive: at stege
  • Present: jeg steger, du steger, vi steger (same form for all persons)
  • Past: jeg stegte
  • Perfect: jeg har stegt
What exactly does steger mean here—“fry,” “roast,” or “cook”?
In this context, steger ... på panden means cooking in a pan with heat (usually with fat): to pan-fry / fry / saute depending on what you’re making. For potatoes, a natural translation is I also fry/pan-fry potatoes in the pan.
Why is også placed after the verb (Jeg steger også ...)?

That placement is very common and neutral in Danish: subject + verb + også + object. It usually means “also/too” in a general way: in addition, I do this as well.
Different placements change emphasis, e.g.:

  • Jeg steger også kartofler ... = I also fry potatoes (among other things I fry).
  • Jeg steger kartofler også ... (less natural) = emphasis on “also” at the end.
  • Også jeg steger kartofler ... = I too fry potatoes (emphasizes me).
Why is there no article before kartofler?

Danish often uses a bare plural for general “some/any” plural things, like English:

  • Jeg steger kartofler = I fry potatoes (in general / some potatoes).
    If you mean specific potatoes, you’d typically make it definite:
  • Jeg steger kartoflerne = I fry the potatoes.
What is panden grammatically?

panden is the definite singular form of pande (a pan).

  • Indefinite: en pande = a pan
  • Definite: panden = the pan
    So på panden literally means on the pan / in the pan (idiomatic).
Why is it på panden and not i panden?

With cooking, Danish commonly uses på with surfaces/tools used for frying: på panden, på grillen. It focuses on the cooking surface.
You can say i panden in some contexts, especially when thinking of the pan as a container, but på panden is the most standard collocation for pan-frying.

Why is there a comma before fordi?

Because fordi introduces a subordinate clause, and Danish punctuation typically puts a comma before subordinate clauses:
..., fordi de bliver sprøde.
(Some modern comma systems allow optional commas in certain cases, but this comma is very common and often expected.)

Why does the word order change after fordi?

In Danish main clauses, the finite verb is usually in 2nd position (V2). In subordinate clauses (like after fordi), Danish usually has subject before the verb.

  • Main clause: Jeg steger også kartofler ... (verb early)
  • Subordinate clause: fordi de bliver sprøde (subject de comes before bliver)
What does de refer to?

de is the 3rd person plural pronoun (they). Here it refers back to kartofler (potatoes):
... because they become crispy.

Why is it bliver and not er?

bliver means become/get (a change of state), while er means are/is (a state).
So de bliver sprøde = they become crispy (as a result of frying), which matches the intended meaning.

Why is sprøde ending in -e?

Because the subject is plural (kartofler / de), and many Danish adjectives take -e in plural (and also in definite forms).

  • Singular: Kartoflen bliver sprød. (a potato becomes crispy)
  • Plural: Kartoflerne bliver sprøde. / De bliver sprøde.
Are there other ways to say the same thing with for instead of fordi?

Yes, but the structure differs:

  • ..., fordi de bliver sprøde. = because (subordinate clause; verb comes after subject)
  • ..., for de bliver sprøde. = for/since (often more like an explanation; typically treated more like a main-clause pattern and is stylistically a bit different)
    Both can translate to “because,” but fordi is the most straightforward for learners.
Any pronunciation pitfalls in this sentence?

Common ones:

  • jeg often sounds like yai / jaj in casual speech (the g isn’t a hard English g).
  • steger: the e is fairly open; the -er ending is reduced in speech.
  • kartofler: stress on KAR-; the -ler ending can sound very reduced.
  • sprøde: ø has no direct English equivalent (it’s like a front rounded vowel); final -e is often a schwa-like sound.