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Hvis der ikke er ledigt, kan vi reservere til i morgen i stedet.

Hvis der ikke er ledigt, kan vi reservere til i morgen i stedet.
If there isn’t anything available, we can reserve for tomorrow instead.

Breakdown of Hvis der ikke er ledigt, kan vi reservere til i morgen i stedet.

være
to be
vi
we
i morgen
tomorrow
der
there
hvis
if
til
for
kunne
can
ikke
not
reservere
to reserve
ledig
available
i stedet
instead
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Questions & Answers about Hvis der ikke er ledigt, kan vi reservere til i morgen i stedet.

Why does the sentence start with Hvis, and what kind of clause is Hvis der ikke er ledigt?

Hvis means if and introduces a conditional (a subordinate clause).
So Hvis der ikke er ledigt is the condition: if there isn’t anything available / if it’s not vacant.
In Danish, subordinate clauses like this usually keep the verb relatively “late” compared with main clauses (though here the verb er is still early because the clause is short).

What is the role of der in der ikke er ledigt? Does it mean there?

Here der is an expletive/dummy subject, similar to English there in there is/are. It doesn’t refer to a place; it’s just filling the subject slot required by Danish word order.
So der er ledigt ≈ there is something available / it’s vacant.

Why is it ikke (not) placed before er or after er?

In der ikke er ledigt, ikke comes before the finite verb er because this is a subordinate clause introduced by Hvis.
A common rule of thumb:

  • Main clause: the finite verb is early, and ikke often comes after it.
  • Subordinate clause: ikke typically comes before the finite verb.

So you get: Hvis ... ikke er ...

What does ledigt mean here, and why is it ledigt and not ledig?

ledig/ledigt means available / vacant / free (depending on context: a room, a table, a time slot, etc.).
The -t in ledigt is the neuter form used with an implied neuter subject like et værelse (a room) or et bord (a table), or with the dummy der when what’s “available” is understood as a neuter “something.”
You’ll often see:

  • Det er ledigt.
  • Er der ledigt?
Why is there a comma after ledigt?

Danish normally uses a comma to separate: 1) the subordinate clause, and
2) the main clause that follows.

So: Hvis der ikke er ledigt, kan vi ...
That comma is very standard in Danish writing.

Why does the second part start with kan vi instead of vi kan?

Because Danish main clauses follow the V2 rule (the finite verb is in position 2).
When the sentence begins with the conditional clause (Hvis ...), that whole clause counts as position 1. Then the verb must come next, so you get inversion:

  • Hvis ..., kan vi ... (verb before subject)

If there were no initial clause, you’d typically have:

  • Vi kan reservere ...
What exactly is reservere grammatically—an infinitive, and why doesn’t it change?

reservere is the infinitive (to reserve). It stays in the infinitive because it follows the modal verb kan (can).
Pattern: kan + infinitive
So: kan vi reservere = can we reserve.

Why is it reservere til i morgen? What does til mean here?

til often corresponds to for / until / to, and with reservations it commonly marks the time you’re reserving for.
So reservere til i morgen is idiomatic Danish for reserve for tomorrow.
(You may also hear other patterns depending on context, but til i morgen is very common.)

What does i morgen mean, and is it always two words?

i morgen literally means in morning, but idiomatically it means tomorrow.
Yes, it’s written as two words in Danish: i morgen.

What does i stedet mean, and where does it usually go in the sentence?

i stedet means instead. It often goes toward the end of the clause, as it does here:
... i morgen i stedet = ... tomorrow instead.
You can move it for emphasis in some contexts, but the end position is very common and neutral.

Is the word order til i morgen i stedet fixed, or could it be i stedet til i morgen?

til i morgen i stedet is the natural, common order: first the time phrase, then i stedet as an “afterthought” meaning instead.
i stedet til i morgen is possible but sounds more marked/less natural in many everyday contexts; it can feel like you’re focusing on instead first, and then specifying for tomorrow.

How would this sound in speech—anything to watch for in pronunciation?

A few common pronunciation points:

  • Hvis: the v is often very soft.
  • der: often reduced, sounding like a quick dæ.
  • ikke: often reduced in fast speech (you may hear something like ik’).
  • ledigt: the -t can be very light.
  • i morgen: stress usually on mor- in morgen.

Overall, many small words get reduced, so listening practice helps a lot with sentences like this.