Jeg er på vej til stationen for at hente min ven.

I am on my way to the station to pick up my friend.

Breakdown of Jeg er på vej til stationen for at hente min ven.

• jeg: I
• være: to be
• min: my
• til: to
• for at: to
• vennen: the friend
• stationen: the station
• hente: to pick up
• på vej: on the way

Questions & Answers about Jeg er på vej til stationen for at hente min ven.

Why does Danish use er (am/are/is) here instead of a verb like går (walk)?

Because jeg er på vej is an idiomatic expression meaning I’m on my way. It focuses on the state of being en route, not the method of travel. You can still specify the method if you want:

• Jeg er på vej til stationen. = I’m on my way to the station.
• Jeg er på vej til stationen på cykel. = …by bike. If you said Jeg går til stationen, it means you’re walking to the station (more literal and about the action).

What exactly does på vej mean, and do I always need på?

på vej literally means on (the) way, and it functions as a fixed phrase in Danish. You normally keep the preposition på:

• Jeg er på vej. = I’m on my way. You typically wouldn’t say jeg er vej; it would sound incorrect.

Why is it til stationen and not til en station?

stationen is the definite form: the station. Danish often uses the definite form when the destination is understood or specific in context (e.g., “the station” in town, the one you mean).
If you truly mean any station (unspecified), you could say:

• til en station = to a station

How is the definite form stationen built?

Danish usually adds the definite article as a suffix:

• en station (a station) → stationen (the station) For en-words (common gender), the definite ending is typically -en.

Why does Danish say for at hente? What does for at do?

for at + infinitive expresses purpose: in order to / to.

• … for at hente min ven = …to pick up my friend In many contexts Danish can also use just the infinitive, but for at is very common and clear when expressing purpose.

What does hente mean here—“fetch,” “pick up,” or “collect”?

hente often means to pick someone up (go to a place and bring them with you) or to fetch/get something. In this sentence it naturally means you’re going to the station to meet your friend and take them with you:

• hente min ven = pick up my friend

Why is it min ven and not something like min vennen?

With a possessive like min/mit/mine, Danish normally uses the indefinite noun form:

• min ven = my friend
  Not min vennen. You can also use a different possessive construction:
• vennen min (less neutral; can sound more emphatic/colloquial) = my friend

How do I know whether it’s min or mit?

It depends on the grammatical gender of the noun:

• en-words (common gender) take min: min ven, min station
• et-words (neuter) take mit: mit hus (my house) Plural is mine: mine venner (my friends)

What is the word order doing here—why is it Jeg er på vej… and not something else?

This is standard Danish main-clause word order:

• Subject (Jeg) + finite verb (er) + the rest (på vej til…)
  Danish is a V2 language, meaning the finite verb is typically in the second position in main clauses.

How would I turn this into a question in Danish?

You normally invert the subject and the finite verb:

• Er jeg på vej til stationen for at hente min ven? = Am I on my way…? More naturally, you’d often ask:
• Er du på vej til stationen for at hente din ven? = Are you on your way…?

How would I negate this sentence?

You usually place ikke after the finite verb (and often after adverbs like på vej depending on emphasis). Common options:

• Jeg er ikke på vej til stationen… = I’m not on my way to the station…
• Jeg er på vej, ikke til stationen, men til… = I’m on my way, not to the station but to…

Anything tricky about pronunciation in Jeg er på vej til stationen for at hente min ven?

A few common points:

• jeg is often pronounced closer to yai (varies by accent).
• er can be quite reduced, almost like a quick ’er sound.
• vej sounds like English vai (similar to “vie”).
• stationen typically has stress on the last syllable-ish: sta-ti-o-nen (rhythm varies by speaker).
• for at is often reduced in fast speech (can sound like for a).