Jeg har travlt i dag, men jeg kan tale i morgen.

I’m busy today, but I can talk tomorrow.

Breakdown of Jeg har travlt i dag, men jeg kan tale i morgen.

• jeg: I
• men: but
• have: to have
• i morgen: tomorrow
• i dag: today
• kunne: can
• tale: to talk
• travl: busy

Questions & Answers about Jeg har travlt i dag, men jeg kan tale i morgen.

Why does Danish use Jeg har travlt (“I have busy”) instead of something like “I am busy”?

Travlt works idiomatically with have in Danish: at have travlt = “to be busy.”
So Jeg har travlt i dag is the natural, everyday way to say “I’m busy today.” Saying Jeg er travl is possible but sounds more like “I’m a busy person” (a general trait) rather than “I’m busy right now.”

What exactly does travlt mean, and how is it different from travl?

• travlt is the adverbial/neutral form used in the fixed expression have travlt (“be busy / have a lot to do”).
• travl is an adjective: en travl dag (“a busy day”), jeg er travl (“I am busy” / “I am a busy person,” depending on context).
  In this sentence, travlt is correct because it’s part of the common collocation har travlt.

Why is i dag placed after travlt? Could I say Jeg har i dag travlt?

Jeg har travlt i dag is the most neutral word order: verb + complement (travlt) + time adverbial (i dag).
Jeg har i dag travlt is also grammatical, but it foregrounds i dag (“today, specifically”) and can sound slightly more emphatic or contrastive.

What does men do in this sentence, and is it different from English “but”?

men is the standard coordinating conjunction meaning “but.” It links two main clauses:

• Jeg har travlt i dag
• men jeg kan tale i morgen
  Functionally it matches English “but” very closely.

Why do we repeat jeg after men? Can it be omitted?

In Danish, you typically include the subject in each main clause: ..., men jeg kan ...
Omitting it (..., men kan tale i morgen) is generally not correct in standard Danish (except in some very informal or special constructions). Repeating jeg keeps the clause complete and clear.

Why is it kan tale (modal + infinitive) without at?

After modal verbs like kan (“can”), Danish uses the bare infinitive (no at):

• jeg kan tale = “I can speak / talk”
  You would use at with many non-modal verbs, e.g. jeg elsker at tale (“I love to talk”).

Does tale mean “speak” or “talk” here?

tale can mean both “speak” and “talk,” depending on context. In this kind of scheduling sentence (I’m busy today, but I can talk tomorrow), tale naturally corresponds to “talk” (have a conversation). If you mean “speak (a language),” you might also use tale dansk (“speak Danish”).

Could I use snakke instead of tale?

Yes, often.

• tale is a bit more neutral/formal: “speak/talk.”
• snakke is more informal: “chat.”
  So Jeg har travlt i dag, men jeg kan snakke i morgen sounds like “...but I can chat tomorrow.”

What’s the difference between i dag and i morgen? Are they fixed expressions?

They’re common fixed time phrases:

• i dag = “today”
• i morgen = “tomorrow”
  Literally, i is “in/on” (time), but you don’t usually translate it word-for-word; you just learn the phrases.

Is i morgen ever confusing with om morgenen (“in the morning”)?

They’re different:

• i morgen = “tomorrow” (the next day)
• om morgenen = “in the morning” (morning time generally)
  To say “tomorrow morning,” you’d say i morgen tidlig or i morgen formiddag depending on what you mean.

Can Danish drop the comma before men?

In standard Danish writing, you normally put a comma before men when it joins two main clauses (as here). Many writers follow official Danish comma guidelines that keep this comma. In very informal writing you might see it omitted, but the comma is recommended.

Does the second clause have to be jeg kan tale i morgen, or could it be kan jeg tale i morgen?

Both are possible but mean/feel different:

• ... men jeg kan tale i morgen. = statement (“...but I can talk tomorrow.”)
• ... men kan jeg tale i morgen? = question (“...but can I talk tomorrow?”) with verb-first word order typical of questions.

Why is the word order men jeg kan ... and not men kan jeg ... in a statement?

In Danish main-clause statements, the finite verb typically comes in second position (V2), and the subject often comes first: jeg kan.
Verb-first (kan jeg) is mainly for yes/no questions (and a few other special structures).

If I want to be more specific, how do I add “with you” or “to you”?

For “talk to you” you’d typically say:

• ... men jeg kan tale med dig i morgen. = “...but I can talk with you tomorrow.”
  Danish often uses tale med (“talk with”) where English uses “talk to.” tale til exists but is more like “speak to/address” someone (more one-way).

How would I make it more polite or more tentative, like “I might be able to talk tomorrow”?

Common options:

• ... men jeg kan måske tale i morgen. (“...but I can maybe talk tomorrow.”)
• ... men jeg kan nok tale i morgen. (“...but I’ll probably be able to talk tomorrow.”)
• ... men jeg kan muligvis tale i morgen. (more formal: “possibly”)

How do I stress the contrast: “I’m busy today, but tomorrow I can talk”?

You can front i morgen in the second clause for emphasis (still V2 word order):

• Jeg har travlt i dag, men i morgen kan jeg tale.
  This highlights “tomorrow” as the contrast point.