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Mine øjne løber i vand, når jeg skærer løg i køkkenet.

Mine øjne løber i vand, når jeg skærer løg i køkkenet.
My eyes water when I cut onions in the kitchen.

Breakdown of Mine øjne løber i vand, når jeg skærer løg i køkkenet.

jeg
I
i
in
når
when
køkkenet
the kitchen
mine
my
skære
to cut
løget
the onion
øjet
the eye
løbe i vand
to water (eyes)
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Questions & Answers about Mine øjne løber i vand, når jeg skærer løg i køkkenet.

What does løber i vand mean here? It sounds like run in water.

Literally, løbe i vand is to run in water, but as an idiom it means to water / to tear up (your eyes fill with tears).

  • Mine øjne løber i vand = My eyes water / My eyes tear up.
Why is it Mine øjne and not Mit øje or Min øjne?

Because øjne is plural (eyes), you use the plural possessive mine.

  • min = my (common gender singular)
  • mit = my (neuter singular)
  • mine = my (plural)
    So: mine øjne = my eyes. (Mit øje would be my eye—one eye.)
Does the verb change for singular/plural in Danish? Why is it løber with øjne?

Danish verbs don’t conjugate for person/number in the present tense. The same form is used with I/you/he/we/they.

  • jeg løber, du løber, mine øjne løber
    So løber is correct regardless of the subject.
What’s going on with word order after når? Why is it når jeg skærer and not når skærer jeg?

After når, you have a subordinate clause, and Danish subordinate clauses use subject before verb (not V2 word order).

  • Main clause: Mine øjne løber i vand (verb is in 2nd position)
  • Subordinate clause: når jeg skærer løg (subject jeg comes before verb skærer)
Why is there a comma before når?

Because når jeg skærer løg i køkkenet is a subordinate clause, and Danish normally uses a comma to separate it from the main clause. You’ll see some variation depending on comma style, but comma before a subordinate clause is very common:

  • Mine øjne løber i vand, når jeg skærer løg i køkkenet.
Why use når instead of da?

Når is used for something that happens generally / repeatedly / whenever.

  • Når jeg skærer løg... = Whenever I cut onions...

Da is typically for a single specific time in the past:

  • Da jeg skar løg i går, løb mine øjne i vand. = When I cut onions yesterday, my eyes watered.
Why is it skærer (present tense) and not past tense?

The present tense is used because this sentence describes a general habit / repeated situation.

  • Mine øjne løber i vand, når jeg skærer løg... = a general truth

If it were one specific past event, you’d use past:

  • Mine øjne løb i vand, da jeg skar løg...
Is løg singular or plural here? Why no article like et?

Løg can be understood as plural (onions) or as a general “onion” substance/category in this kind of statement. Danish often omits an article in general statements like this. If you mean one onion specifically, you’d usually say:

  • når jeg skærer et løg = when I cut an onion If you clearly mean several onions:
  • når jeg skærer løg can still work, or you can specify nogle løg = some onions.
What does i køkkenet mean, and why is it køkkenet (definite)?

i køkkenet means in the kitchen, and køkkenet is the definite form (the kitchen).

  • et køkken = a kitchen
  • køkkenet = the kitchen Using the definite here is natural because it refers to a specific kitchen (often your own or a known one).
Can I switch the clause order and start with Når...?

Yes, and it’s very common. If you start with the subordinate clause, the main clause gets inversion (verb before subject):

  • Når jeg skærer løg i køkkenet, løber mine øjne i vand. Notice: løber comes before mine øjne.
Is løber the same verb as to run? What are its basic forms?

Yes. at løbe is to run (and it’s also used in the idiom here). Common forms:

  • infinitive: (at) løbe
  • present: løber
  • past: løb
  • past participle: løbet
How do I pronounce the tricky words: øjne, løg, skærer?

Approximate pronunciation (varies a bit by accent):

  • øjne: something like OY-nuh (the ø is a front rounded vowel; the j softens the transition)
  • løg: roughly luhy / lœy (ends with a soft sound; not a hard g)
  • skærer: roughly SKAIR-er (with a long æ sound) If you want, tell me your dialect target (Copenhagen vs. Jutland, etc.) and I can give a closer guide.