Der er heldigvis en ledig plads i venteværelset, så jeg sætter mig ned.

Fortunately there is an available seat in the waiting room, so I sit down.

Breakdown of Der er heldigvis en ledig plads i venteværelset, så jeg sætter mig ned.

• jeg: I
• i: in
• en: a
• være: to be
• der: there
• så: so
• mig: myself
• pladsen: the seat
• heldigvis: fortunately
• ledig: available
• venteværelset: the waiting room
• sætte sig ned: to sit down

Questions & Answers about Der er heldigvis en ledig plads i venteværelset, så jeg sætter mig ned.

Why does the sentence start with Der er? Does der mean there?

Yes—Der er is the standard Danish way to say there is/there are (an existential construction).

• der is a “dummy” subject here (like English there in there is). It doesn’t refer to a specific place.
• er is the present tense of at være (to be). So Der er en ledig plads ... = There is an available seat ...

What does heldigvis do in the sentence, and where can it go?

heldigvis means fortunately / luckily and works as a sentence adverb.

• It typically appears early in the clause, often after the verb in Der er sentences: Der er heldigvis ...
• You can also put it earlier for emphasis: Heldigvis er der ... (also correct, slightly more focused on “fortunately”).

Why is it en ledig plads and not et ledig plads?

Because plads is a common-gender noun (en-word), so it takes:

• en plads (indefinite)
• pladsen (definite) And adjectives agree with gender/number/definiteness:
• common gender singular indefinite: en ledig plads (Not et, which is for neuter nouns.)

Does plads mean “place” or “seat” here?

Both are possible depending on context, but in a waiting room en ledig plads normally means an available seat/spot (a place to sit). It’s the natural Danish phrasing for “there’s a free seat.”

Why is it i venteværelset (with -et at the end)?

venteværelse = waiting room.

• -et marks the definite singular for many neuter nouns: et venteværelse → venteværelset = the waiting room So i venteværelset means in the waiting room (a specific one, e.g., at a clinic).

What is the function of så in the middle—does it mean “so” as in English?

Yes. så here means so / therefore, linking cause to result:

• Clause 1: there is a free seat
• Clause 2: as a result, I sit down It often introduces a natural consequence: ..., så jeg ...

Why is the word order så jeg sætter mig ned and not så sætter jeg mig ned?

After så meaning so/therefore introducing a new clause, Danish commonly uses normal main-clause word order (verb in 2nd position), but here så is acting like a conjunction and the clause keeps subject–verb order: så jeg sætter ... In everyday Danish both patterns can occur depending on meaning and rhythm:

• ..., så jeg sætter mig ned. (very common, “so I sit down”)
• ..., så sætter jeg mig ned. (also possible; can sound a bit more “then I sit down” / more sequential) Both are understandable; the given version is very natural.

What does sætter mig ned literally mean?

Literally it’s set myself down, but idiomatically it means sit down.

• at sætte = to set / to put
• mig = me (object pronoun)
• ned = down So jeg sætter mig ned = I sit down (often implying the action of taking a seat).

Why do we need mig—could you just say jeg sætter ned?

You generally need the reflexive pronoun with this verb phrase:

• Correct: jeg sætter mig ned (I sit down) Without mig, sætte normally needs some object you are placing somewhere (e.g., Jeg sætter koppen ned = I put the cup down).
  So mig shows that you are the one being “placed” (reflexively).

Is this sentence in the present tense, and does it imply future meaning?

Grammatically it’s present tense:

• Der er ...
• jeg sætter mig ned But Danish present tense can cover “right now” or an immediate intention, so it can feel like: “There’s a free seat, so I’m going to sit down (now).”

How would you pronounce key parts like Der er, heldigvis, and venteværelset?

A rough guide (pronunciation varies by region):

• Der er often sounds like a reduced dær-æ (very blended in speech).
• heldigvis: stress on HEL-, and the -vis is relatively light: HEL-di-vis (approx.).
• venteværelset: stress usually on the first part: VEN-te-VÆ-rel-set, with a Danish æ sound in væ.