Min læge anbefaler, at jeg bliver hjemme, hvis jeg får feber igen.

Breakdown of Min læge anbefaler, at jeg bliver hjemme, hvis jeg får feber igen.

jeg
I
min
my
hvis
if
igen
again
to get
at
that
lægen
the doctor
blive
to stay
hjemme
at home
anbefale
to recommend
feberen
the fever
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Questions & Answers about Min læge anbefaler, at jeg bliver hjemme, hvis jeg får feber igen.

Why are there so many commas in Min læge anbefaler, at jeg bliver hjemme, hvis jeg får feber igen?

Danish punctuation often puts commas around subordinate clauses (especially in more “traditional” comma style). Here you have:

  • Main clause: Min læge anbefaler
  • Subordinate clause (object clause) introduced by at: at jeg bliver hjemme
  • Subordinate clause (conditional clause) introduced by hvis: hvis jeg får feber igen

So the commas help mark where the subordinate clauses start/end. Many Danes follow either the “start comma” system (comma before subordinate clauses) or a more minimal system, so you may see slightly different comma choices, but this version is very common and correct.

What is the function of at here?

At is a subordinating conjunction meaning “that” (introducing a clause). After many verbs of saying/thinking/recommending (like anbefale), Danish commonly uses an at-clause as the object:

  • anbefaler, at + clause = “recommends that + clause”

So at jeg bliver hjemme is what the doctor recommends.

Why is the word order at jeg bliver hjemme and not something like at jeg hjemme bliver or verb-second order?

In Danish, main clauses typically use V2 (the finite verb in the second position). But in subordinate clauses (like those introduced by at or hvis), Danish uses subordinate word order, where the subject comes before the finite verb:

  • Main clause: Min læge anbefaler (V2 is not really tested here because it starts with the subject)
  • Subordinate clause: at jeg bliver hjemme (subject jeg before verb bliver)
  • Subordinate clause: hvis jeg får feber igen (subject jeg before verb får)

So this is exactly what you expect in subordinate clauses.

Why does Danish use bliver hjemme instead of er hjemme?

Both can appear, but they’re not identical:

  • at jeg er hjemme = “that I am at home” (more like a state)
  • at jeg bliver hjemme = “that I stay home / remain at home” (emphasizes the choice/decision to not go out)

With recommendations or instructions, bliver hjemme is very natural because it implies “stay (put).”

Is Min læge the only way to say “my doctor”? What about lægen min?

Both exist, with slightly different feel:

  • Min læge = the common neutral way to say “my doctor”
  • Lægen min = more emphatic/colloquial in many contexts (“my doctor, you know…”), and it can sound a bit more marked

In a straightforward sentence like this, Min læge is the default.

Why is it min and not mit?

Because læge is a common-gender noun (en-word):

  • en lægemin læge Neuter nouns (et-words) take mit:
  • et husmit hus
How is anbefaler formed? Do Danish verbs change for person?

Danish verbs generally do not change for person or number in the present tense. The present tense is typically formed with -er:

  • at anbefale (infinitive)
  • (jeg/du/han/vi/de) anbefaler (present)

So Min læge anbefaler is present tense, and it would be the same form with any subject.

Why is it hvis jeg får feber igen and not hvis jeg vil få or hvis jeg får en feber?

A few things are going on:

  • hvis is the normal word for “if” in conditions.
  • Danish often uses simple present in if-clauses to talk about the future, like English: “if I get a fever again…”
  • få feber is an idiomatic phrase meaning “to get a fever.” You typically say feber without an article: få feber, not få en feber.
Could it also be hvis jeg har feber igen?

Yes, but it shifts the meaning slightly:

  • hvis jeg får feber igen = “if I get a fever again” (focus on fever starting/returning)
  • hvis jeg har feber igen = “if I have a fever again” (focus on the state of having fever)

Both are possible; får feber is very common when talking about the fever returning.

Where does igen go, and could it be earlier in the sentence?

Igen (“again”) commonly comes late in the clause, often after the object/complement:

  • hvis jeg får feber igen is very natural.

You can move it for emphasis, but it may sound marked:

  • hvis jeg igen får feber = “if I again get a fever” (slightly more emphatic on “again”)
If I start with the hvis-clause, does the word order change?

Yes. If the conditional clause comes first, the main clause becomes V2 with inversion (verb before subject):

  • Hvis jeg får feber igen, anbefaler min læge, at jeg bliver hjemme.

Notice anbefaler comes before min læge in the main clause because something else (Hvis…) is in first position.

Any pronunciation traps in this sentence?

A few common ones:

  • læge: the æ is like a fairly open “eh” sound; the final -e is often reduced. Roughly “LEH-yeh” (approximate).
  • anbefaler: stress usually on the last part -fa-/-ler area depending on speech; the vowels reduce a bit in fast speech.
  • bliver: often pronounced with a soft d-like glide; many learners over-pronounce each letter.
  • feber: the e vowels are not like English “fever”; both syllables are relatively short and Danish-like: FEH-ber (approximate).