Det begynder at ryge i køkkenet, så jeg åbner vinduet.

It starts to smoke in the kitchen, so I open the window.

Breakdown of Det begynder at ryge i køkkenet, så jeg åbner vinduet.

• jeg: I
• i: in
• åbne: to open
• vinduet: the window
• at: to
• det: it
• køkkenet: the kitchen
• så: so
• begynde: to start
• ryge: to smoke

Questions & Answers about Det begynder at ryge i køkkenet, så jeg åbner vinduet.

Why does Danish use Det here? What does it refer to?

In Det begynder at ryge i køkkenet, det is a “dummy/placeholder” subject (like English it in It’s starting to rain). It doesn’t point to a specific noun; it just fills the required subject slot. Danish often uses det with weather-like expressions and situations where “something starts happening” (smoke appears, it gets dark, it rains, etc.).

What does begynder at + infinitive mean, and do I have to use at?

Begynder at + infinitive means starts to + verb. Here: begynder at ryge = starts to smoke / starts smoking.
With begynde, Danish normally uses at before the infinitive: begynde at gøre noget. In very informal speech you might hear begynder og ryger, but the standard pattern in writing is begynder at ryge.

Does ryge mean “to smoke” like a person smoking, or “to give off smoke”?

Both are possible depending on context.

• Jeg ryger = I smoke (cigarettes).
• Det ryger i køkkenet = There’s smoke in the kitchen / It’s smoking in the kitchen (i.e., smoke is coming from something).
  The i køkkenet makes it clearly the “smoke is appearing” meaning, not “someone is smoking.”

Why is it i køkkenet and not fra køkkenet or på køkkenet?

i køkkenet means the smoke is in the kitchen / the smoking is happening in that location.

• fra køkkenet would mean the smoke is coming from the kitchen (source).
• på køkkenet generally doesn’t work for “in the kitchen” (it would mean “on the kitchen,” which isn’t how Danish describes rooms/locations).

What’s the role of så in the middle? Does it mean “so/therefore” or “then”?

Here så works like so/therefore, linking cause → result:
It starts to smoke in the kitchen, so I open the window.
Depending on context, så can also mean then (sequence in time), but in this sentence it’s clearly the “therefore” connector.

Is the comma before så required?

Yes, it’s standard to use a comma before så when it connects two independent clauses (each with its own subject and verb):

• Det begynder at ryge i køkkenet, (clause 1)
• så jeg åbner vinduet (clause 2)
  In Danish you typically separate main clauses with a comma in this kind of construction.

Why does Danish say jeg åbner vinduet (present tense) instead of something like “I will open”?

Danish often uses the present tense for near-future actions and for habitual/typical reactions, especially in a narrative present:
It starts smoking…, so I open the window.
You can use vil (så jeg vil åbne vinduet) if you want to emphasize intention/decision (“so I will open the window”), but the plain present is very natural for immediate actions.

What does åbner look like in the infinitive and past tense?

Infinitive: at åbne = to open
Present: jeg åbner
Past: jeg åbnede = I opened
Perfect: jeg har åbnet = I have opened
The -r ending in åbner is the normal present tense marker for many Danish verbs.

Why is vinduet definite (the window) and not indefinite (et vindue)?

Danish often uses the definite form when a specific, contextually obvious thing is meant—even if it hasn’t been explicitly introduced. In a kitchen situation, the window is understood as “the relevant window (here).”
If you said jeg åbner et vindue, it would sound more like “I open a window (one of several)” or less specific.

How is definiteness formed in vinduet?

vindue = “window” (common gender, et-word)
Definite singular is formed by adding -t / -et:

• et vindue (a window)
• vinduet (the window)
  So the “the” is often a suffix in Danish rather than a separate word.

What’s the word order after så? Why is it så jeg åbner… and not så åbner jeg…?

Both can exist, but they’re slightly different structures:

• …, så jeg åbner vinduet.
  Here så works like a conjunction meaning “so/therefore,” and the clause keeps normal main-clause order: subject + verb (jeg åbner).
• …, så åbner jeg vinduet.
  This is also possible and is common in speech; it can feel a bit more like “and then I open the window” (a step in a sequence), with så functioning more like an adverb placed first, causing inversion (verb before subject).

Is ryge used with at in other patterns too?

Yes. Examples:

• Det begynder at ryge. = It starts to smoke.
• Det blev ved med at ryge. = It kept on smoking.
• Det holdt op med at ryge. = It stopped smoking.
  But note: ryge by itself doesn’t require at—at comes from the verb construction before it (like begynder at).

How would I negate this sentence?

You place ikke after the finite verb in each clause:

• Det begynder ikke at ryge i køkkenet, så jeg åbner ikke vinduet.
  If you only want to negate one part, you negate only that clause:
• Det begynder at ryge i køkkenet, så jeg åbner ikke vinduet. = …so I don’t open the window.

How do you pronounce tricky parts like ryge and køkkenet?

Approximate pronunciations (very rough, since Danish has sounds English doesn’t):

• ryge: the y is like a French u / German ü; the final -e is often reduced.
• køkkenet: ø is also a front rounded vowel; the kk is a clear stop; the ending -et is reduced.
  If you use a dictionary with audio, search ryge and køkken / køkkenet to hear the natural reductions.