Vi øver os på at tale dansk i stuen, når det er stille.

We practice speaking Danish in the living room when it is quiet.

Breakdown of Vi øver os på at tale dansk i stuen, når det er stille.

• i: in
• være: to be
• på: on
• når: when
• vi: we
• at: to
• det: it
• stuen: the living room
• stille: quiet
• dansk: Danish
• tale: to speak
• øve sig: to practice

Questions & Answers about Vi øver os på at tale dansk i stuen, når det er stille.

Why does Danish use Vi øver os and what does os do here?

In øve sig (to practice), Danish uses a reflexive pronoun: you “practice yourself.”

• Vi øver os = We practice (literally “we practice ourselves”).
  The reflexive pronoun agrees with the subject:
• jeg øver mig, du øver dig, han/hun øver sig, vi øver os, I øver jer, de øver sig.

What’s the function of på in øver os på at ...?

The verb pattern is øve sig på + (noun / at-infinitive) meaning “to practice (doing) something.”

• øve sig på dansk = practice Danish (as a topic/skill)
• øve sig på at tale dansk = practice speaking Danish
  So på is required by the idiom; you don’t usually drop it.

Why is it på at tale and not just på tale?

Because the thing being practiced is an action (speaking), Danish typically uses an at-infinitive after øve sig på:

• at tale = “to speak” (the action you’re practicing)
  tale alone wouldn’t work in this structure; Danish needs the infinitive marker at here.

Is at always used before infinitives in Danish?

No. Danish sometimes omits at, especially after modal verbs and certain other verbs. For example:

• Jeg kan tale dansk (not kan at tale)
  But in the pattern øve sig på at + infinitive, at is normally used.

Why is it tale dansk and not tale dansk with an article (like “the Danish”)?

Language names in Danish are usually used without an article:

• dansk, engelsk, tysk (no en/et)
  So tale dansk = “speak Danish.” Using an article would sound wrong in this meaning.

What does i stuen mean exactly, and why i?

i stuen means in the living room.

• stue = living room
• stuen = the living room (definite form; see next question)
  i is the normal preposition for being located in an enclosed/defined space.

How does stuen mean “the living room” without a separate word for “the”?

Danish often marks definiteness by adding an ending to the noun (a “suffix article”):

• en stue = a living room
• stuen = the living room
  So -en is the definite ending for many common-gender nouns (with en as the indefinite article).

Why is the clause order ..., når det er stille and not like English word order?

After a fronted element (here i stuen is placed early), Danish keeps the verb in the second position in the main clause (V2 rule). The structure is:

• Vi (subject) øver (verb) os ... i stuen
  Then når det er stille is a subordinate time clause introduced by når (“when”). In that subordinate clause, Danish uses normal subject–verb order:
• det er (not er det)

Does når mean “when” as in a repeated situation, or a one-time event?

Usually når suggests a general or repeated condition: “when(ever) it’s quiet.”
For a specific one-time moment in the past, Danish often uses da instead:

• Vi øvede os ..., da det var stille = when it was quiet (that time)

What does det refer to in når det er stille?

Here det is a “dummy/introductory” subject, like English it in it is quiet. It doesn’t refer to a specific noun; it just fills the subject position.

What does stille mean here—“quiet” or “still”?

In this sentence stille means quiet (low noise). It can also relate to calmness/stillness depending on context, but with det er stille the default meaning is “it’s quiet.”

Could I place når det er stille somewhere else in the sentence?

Yes. Danish allows moving time clauses, but the main clause then follows V2 word order. For example:

• Når det er stille, øver vi os på at tale dansk i stuen.
  Notice how the verb øver comes right after the fronted clause.

Is there any difference between Vi øver os på at tale dansk and Vi øver at tale dansk?

Yes. Vi øver os på ... is the natural, idiomatic way to say “We practice (doing something).”
Vi øver at ... is generally not used in standard Danish for this meaning; it sounds incomplete or unnatural because øve typically expects the reflexive construction for “practice.”

How would you negate this sentence?

You place ikke after the finite verb (and often after the reflexive pronoun as well, depending on rhythm):

• Vi øver os ikke på at tale dansk i stuen, når det er stille.
  Common alternative placement is similar, but the key point is: ikke comes after øver in the main clause.