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Når jeg besøger hende, hjælper jeg med opvasken, selvom hun har en opvaskemaskine.

Når jeg besøger hende, hjælper jeg med opvasken, selvom hun har en opvaskemaskine.
When I visit her, I help with the washing-up, even though she has a dishwasher.

Breakdown of Når jeg besøger hende, hjælper jeg med opvasken, selvom hun har en opvaskemaskine.

jeg
I
en
a
når
when
med
with
have
to have
hun
she
besøge
to visit
hjælpe
to help
hende
her
selvom
even though
opvaskemaskinen
the dishwasher
opvasken
the washing-up
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Questions & Answers about Når jeg besøger hende, hjælper jeg med opvasken, selvom hun har en opvaskemaskine.

Why does the sentence start with Når? How is it different from da or hvis?

Når introduces a time clause meaning whenever / when (in general, repeatedly). It fits habitual situations: every time I visit her, I help.

  • da is typically for a single, specific past occasion: Da jeg besøgte hende, hjalp jeg… (When I visited her (that time), I helped…)
  • hvis means if (a condition), not “when”: Hvis jeg besøger hende… (If I visit her…)
Why is the word order hjælper jeg and not jeg hjælper?

Because Danish has V2 word order in main clauses: the finite verb is in position 2. When a subordinate clause (here: Når jeg besøger hende) comes first, it counts as position 1, so the main clause must invert:

  • Når jeg besøger hende, hjælper jeg … Not: Når jeg besøger hende, jeg hjælper … (ungrammatical)
Is besøger present tense? Why not past tense?

Yes, besøger is present tense, but in Danish the present is commonly used for habitual/general actions:

  • Når jeg besøger hende = Whenever I visit her If you want a one-time event in the past, you’d usually switch to da and past:
  • Da jeg besøgte hende, hjalp jeg …
What’s going on with hende—why not hun?

hun is the subject form (she). hende is the object form (her).

  • jeg besøger hende = I visit her You’d use hun only if she were the subject of a clause:
  • hun har en opvaskemaskine = she has a dishwasher
Why do we say hjælper jeg med opvasken? Why is med there?

The verb hjælpe often takes med when you mean helping with a task/activity:

  • hjælpe med + [noun/activity] = help with … So hjælper jeg med opvasken is “I help with the dishes/washing up.” You can sometimes see hjælpe nogen (“help someone”) without med, but then the focus is the person, not the task:
  • Jeg hjælper hende = I help her (in general)
Why is it opvasken (definite) and not just opvask?

opvasken is the definite form (“the washing up / the dishes”), which often sounds natural when referring to the specific chore at that time.

  • med opvasken = with the washing up (the usual set of dishes) med opvask (indefinite) is possible, but it’s more like “with dishwashing (as an activity)” and can sound more general/abstract.
What does selvom do in the sentence, grammatically?

selvom introduces a concessive subordinate clause: “even though / although.” It signals contrast: you help with the dishes despite the fact that she has a dishwasher:

  • …, selvom hun har en opvaskemaskine.

Inside the selvom-clause, Danish uses subordinate-clause word order (e.g., negation placement), but here it’s simple: hun har …

Why are there commas in two places: …, hjælper jeg med opvasken, selvom …?

Commas separate clauses: 1) After the initial subordinate clause:

  • Når jeg besøger hende, (comma before the main clause) 2) Before the selvom-clause:
  • …, selvom hun har … (comma before the subordinate clause)

Danish comma rules have variants (some people use “new comma” conventions), but commas around subordinate clauses like these are very common and often recommended.

Why is it har en opvaskemaskine and not der er en opvaskemaskine?

hun har en opvaskemaskine emphasizes possession/ownership: she has (owns) a dishwasher. der er en opvaskemaskine would mean there is a dishwasher (present somewhere), focusing more on existence/location than ownership. Both can work, but har is the natural choice if you mean she owns one.

Why is it en opvaskemaskine (indefinite)? Could it be opvaskemaskinen?

en opvaskemaskine = “a dishwasher” (introducing it as a fact: she has a dishwasher). opvaskemaskinen = “the dishwasher” would usually be used if it’s already known/identified in context:

  • …, selvom hun har opvaskemaskinen stående lige her. (the specific dishwasher)

In this sentence, the point is simply that she has one at all, so indefinite is natural.

Is opvaskemaskine a compound word? How do I break it down?

Yes, it’s a compound:

  • opvask = washing up / dishes
  • maskine = machine
    So opvaskemaskine = dishwashing machine = dishwasher.

Danish compounds are written as one word, and the last part (maskine) determines the basic category and gender; maskine is common gender, so it takes en.

How do you pronounce some of the tricky words here?

A few common sticking points (approximate guidance):

  • Når: like når with a long vowel; the å is like “aw” in law (varies by accent).
  • besøger: the ø is a front rounded vowel (similar to French deux vowel); the -er ending is often reduced.
  • hjælper: hj- is pronounced like y
    • el (the h is not a strong English h).
  • opvasken: stress on op-; -en is reduced.
  • selvom: stress on selv-; often smooth/connected in speech.
  • opvaskemaskine: primary stress early: OP-vaske-ma-..., with reduced middle syllables in fast speech.