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I morgen afleverer jeg cyklen på værkstedet, så de kan se på den.

I morgen afleverer jeg cyklen på værkstedet, så de kan se på den.
Tomorrow I drop off the bike at the workshop so they can look at it.

Breakdown of I morgen afleverer jeg cyklen på værkstedet, så de kan se på den.

jeg
I
den
it
i morgen
tomorrow
så
so
kunne
can
på
at
de
they
se på
to look at
værkstedet
the workshop
cyklen
the bike
aflevere
to drop off
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Questions & Answers about I morgen afleverer jeg cyklen på værkstedet, så de kan se på den.

Why is i morgen at the beginning, and why does the verb come right after it (afleverer jeg)?

Danish is a V2 (verb-second) language in main clauses: the finite verb usually takes the second position in the clause.

  • If you start with time information like i morgen (tomorrow), that element takes position 1.
  • Then the verb must come next: I morgen afleverer …
  • The subject moves after the verb: … afleverer jeg.

So I morgen afleverer jeg … is the normal Danish word order when you front i morgen.

Could I also say Jeg afleverer cyklen på værkstedet i morgen?

Yes. That’s the more “neutral” order with the subject first:

  • Jeg afleverer cyklen på værkstedet i morgen.

Both are correct; choosing I morgen first just emphasizes the time (“Tomorrow, I’m dropping off…”).

What does afleverer mean here, and is it present tense even though it’s about tomorrow?

Afleverer is present tense of aflevere and here it means to drop off / hand in / deliver (for service). Danish often uses present tense for future plans, especially with a clear time expression:

  • I morgen afleverer jeg … = “Tomorrow I’m dropping off …”

You can add a future marker, but it’s not required.

Why is it cyklen and not en cykel?

cyklen is the definite form (“the bike”). Danish often attaches the definite article as an ending:

  • en cykel = a bike (indefinite)
  • cyklen = the bike (definite)

The sentence assumes the listener already knows which bike you mean.

What exactly is værkstedet, and why does it also have -et at the end?

værkstedet means the workshop / the repair shop (garage). Like cyklen, it’s the definite form.

  • et værksted = a workshop (neuter gender: et)
  • værkstedet = the workshop

The -et ending marks definite neuter singular.

Why is it på værkstedet and not til værkstedet?

Both can be possible, but they suggest slightly different perspectives:

  • til værkstedet focuses on movement/destination (“to the repair shop”).
  • på værkstedet focuses on location/being there (“at the repair shop”), and is very common with places like workplaces, shops, and institutions.

With aflevere, på værkstedet sounds very natural because you’re dropping it off there for service.

What does så mean here, and does it change the word order?

Here så means so / so that, introducing a result/purpose clause:

  • …, så de kan se på den. = “… so they can look at it.”

Yes, it affects word order because the clause after så behaves like a subordinate clause in Danish. That means:

  • The subject comes before the finite verb: de kan (not kan de).
Why is there a comma before så?

Danish typically uses a comma to separate a main clause from a following clause introduced by words like så when it links clauses in this way. So the comma marks the boundary:

  • I morgen afleverer jeg cyklen på værkstedet, så …

(Comma practices can vary a bit, but this is a standard, clear way to write it.)

Who are de? Isn’t de also a formal “you”?

In this sentence, de means they (the people at the repair shop). You’re right that De (capital D) can be a formal you in Danish, but that’s:

  • usually capitalized (De, Dem, Deres) in formal writing,
  • and it wouldn’t make sense here as well as they does.

So de = “they” here.

What does the expression se på mean? Why not just se?

se på is a very common Danish verb + preposition meaning to look at / examine.

  • se alone can be “see” (perceive with your eyes) or “watch” (depending on context),
  • se på strongly suggests examining/looking over something.

In a repair context, se på den is like “take a look at it.”

Why is it den at the end, and what does den refer to?

den is the object pronoun it for common-gender nouns (like cykel).

  • cykel is common gender → den
  • neuter nouns take det (it)

So den refers back to cyklen (“the bike”).

Could I replace kan with something else, like skal?

Yes, but it changes the nuance:

  • så de kan se på den = “so they can look at it” (ability/opportunity)
  • så de skal se på den = “so they will have to look at it / so they’re supposed to look at it” (duty/plan)

For a repair shop context, kan often feels polite and natural: you’re enabling them to examine it.