Log inSign up

Lægen giver mig en recept, og jeg går direkte til apoteket.

Lægen giver mig en recept, og jeg går direkte til apoteket.
The doctor gives me a prescription, and I go straight to the pharmacy.
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Danish grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Danish now

Questions & Answers about Lægen giver mig en recept, og jeg går direkte til apoteket.

Why is læge written as lægen here?

Lægen is the definite form (the -en ending) and means the doctor. In Danish you usually make nouns definite by adding an ending:

  • en læge = a doctor
  • lægen = the doctor
    So the sentence is talking about a specific doctor (the one you’re seeing).
Why is it Lægen giver and not Lægen giveren or something with the?

Danish doesn’t use a separate word like English the in front of most nouns. Definiteness is typically built into the noun ending:

  • English: the doctor
  • Danish: lægen
    So Lægen giver... is already The doctor gives...
What tense is giver, and what verb is it from?

giver is present tense of at give (to give).

  • infinitive: at give
  • present: giver
  • past: gav
  • past participle: givet
    So Lægen giver mig... = The doctor gives me...
Why is it mig and not jeg?

Because mig is the object form (like English me), used after the verb as the receiver of the action.

  • jeg = I (subject)
  • mig = me (object)
    So: Lægen giver mig... (The doctor gives me...)
How does Danish handle “give someone something” word order here?

Danish commonly uses the same pattern as English: verb + indirect object + direct object:

  • Lægen giver mig en recept.
    = The doctor gives me a prescription.
    You can also express it with a preposition (less common in this simple context), similar to English give a prescription to me, but the version in the sentence is the natural everyday structure.
Why is it en recept and not et recept?

Because recept is common gender (en-words) in Danish:

  • en recept (a prescription)
  • recepten (the prescription)
    Et is for neuter nouns, but recept isn’t one of them.
Why does the second clause start with jeg again? Isn’t og går direkte... enough?

In Danish, after og you often repeat the subject if you’re starting a full new clause.
Lægen giver mig en recept, og jeg går... is very standard and clear: two coordinated clauses.

You can sometimes omit the subject in casual speech if it’s obviously the same subject, but with a subject change (doctor → I) you must include it.

What does går mean here—am I literally walking?

Jeg går til apoteket can mean you physically walk, but very often it simply means I go to the pharmacy (the general “go” meaning). If you want to specify the mode of transport, you’d use something like:

  • Jeg kører til apoteket = I drive to the pharmacy
  • Jeg tager bussen til apoteket = I take the bus to the pharmacy
Why is it til apoteket and not til et apotek?

Til apoteket uses the definite form apoteket = the pharmacy, implying the relevant/expected one (often the one nearby or the one you normally go to). Danish commonly uses the definite form for familiar places and destinations in context.

If you mean to a (some) pharmacy, you could say:

  • til et apotek = to a pharmacy (any one)
Why is apotek written as apoteket (with -et) instead of apoteken?

Because apotek is a neuter noun (et-words):

  • et apotek = a pharmacy
  • apoteket = the pharmacy
    Neuter nouns typically take -et in the definite singular.
Where does direkte go in the sentence, and could I move it?

Direkte is an adverb and it’s placed in a very natural spot: after the verb går.

  • jeg går direkte til apoteket = I go directly to the pharmacy

You can move it for emphasis, but the meaning/focus changes slightly:

  • Direkte går jeg til apoteket sounds more marked/stylistic (and can feel unnatural in everyday speech).
  • Jeg går til apoteket direkte is possible but less common; it can sound like an afterthought.
Why is there a comma before og?

Danish comma rules are more flexible than English, and many writers place a comma before og when it links two full clauses (each with its own subject and verb):

  • Lægen giver mig en recept, (comma) og jeg går...

You will also see Danish written without that comma in some styles, but the comma is common and acceptable here, especially since it clearly separates two complete clauses.

How do I pronounce lægen, recept, and apoteket?

Approximate guidance (exact pronunciation varies by region):

  • lægen: the æ is like the vowel in English cat but often a bit more open; the ending -en is typically reduced (the final n can be very soft).
  • recept: stress is usually on the second syllable: re-CEPT (the final t may be less strongly released).
  • apoteket: often stress on the last syllable: a-po-TE-ket, with the final -et reduced.