Værkstedet lover at reparere den, før weekenden begynder.

The workshop promises to repair it before the weekend begins.

Breakdown of Værkstedet lover at reparere den, før weekenden begynder.

• den: it
• at: to
• før: before
• begynde: to begin
• weekenden: the weekend
• værkstedet: the workshop
• reparere: to repair
• love: to promise

Questions & Answers about Værkstedet lover at reparere den, før weekenden begynder.

Why is it Værkstedet and not et værksted?

Værkstedet is the definite form: værksted (workshop/garage) + -et = the workshop/the garage.

• et værksted = a workshop
• værkstedet = the workshop
  Danish often marks definiteness by adding an ending rather than using a separate word like the.

How do I know værksted is et-gender?

Because the indefinite form is et værksted and the definite singular ending is -et: værkstedet.
Rule of thumb:

• en-words → definite -en (e.g., en bil → bilen)
• et-words → definite -et (e.g., et hus → huset)

Why is there at before reparere?

After many verbs (including love = promise), Danish typically uses at + infinitive:

• lover at reparere = promises to repair
  It works much like English to repair, but Danish uses at.

What tense is lover and begynder, and why is it used here?

Both are present tense:

• (at) love → lover (present)
• (at) begynde → begynder (present)

Danish commonly uses present tense for near-future situations when the context makes it future: before the weekend begins implies a future point in time, but Danish still uses present (begynder), similar to English in time clauses (before the weekend begins, not will begin).

What does den refer to, and why is it den (not det or dem)?

den is an object pronoun meaning it/that one, used for common gender (en-) nouns.

• den = it (for en-words)
• det = it (for et-words)
• dem = them

So reparere den means repair it, where it refers to something already known in the conversation (often a thing like bilen = the car, which is en-gender, so den fits).

Why is the object pronoun placed after the verb: reparere den?

In Danish, pronoun objects usually come after the main verb in an infinitive phrase:

• at reparere den = to repair it

In main clauses with a finite verb, pronouns can sometimes appear earlier (especially in certain word orders), but here it’s a straightforward infinitive construction, so verb + pronoun is the normal pattern.

Why is there a comma before før?

Because før weekenden begynder is a subordinate clause with its own verb (begynder). Danish typically uses a comma to separate the main clause from a subordinate clause:

• Main clause: Værkstedet lover at reparere den
• Subordinate clause: før weekenden begynder

You’ll often see a comma before conjunctions like før, fordi, at, hvis, når when they introduce a full clause.

What’s the word order in før weekenden begynder—why isn’t it like English?

In subordinate clauses, Danish usually has subject before the verb, not V2 word order:

• før weekenden begynder = before the weekend begins
  Here: weekenden (subject) + begynder (verb).

If it were a main clause, Danish would often put the verb in second position (V2), but subordinate clauses don’t follow that V2 pattern.

Why is it weekenden and not weekend?

weekenden is the definite form: weekend + -en = the weekend.
Even though weekend is a loanword, it behaves like a normal Danish noun:

• en weekend = a weekend
• weekenden = the weekend

Could I replace begynder with another verb, like starter?

Yes. begynder and starter can both mean begins/starts, but they have slightly different feel:

• begynder is very common in more neutral/formal phrasing.
• starter is also common and can sound a bit more everyday in some contexts.

Both work in this sentence: før weekenden starter/begynder.