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Hun betaler også med betalingskort, fordi hun ikke har kontanter.

Hun betaler også med betalingskort, fordi hun ikke har kontanter.
She also pays with a payment card because she doesn’t have cash.

Breakdown of Hun betaler også med betalingskort, fordi hun ikke har kontanter.

med
with
have
to have
hun
she
fordi
because
også
also
ikke
not
betale
to pay
betalingskortet
the payment card
kontanterne
the cash
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Questions & Answers about Hun betaler også med betalingskort, fordi hun ikke har kontanter.

Why is the verb betaler in the second position, and why does Hun come first?

Danish main clauses follow V2 word order: the finite verb (here betaler) typically comes in position 2.

  • Hun betaler også ... = Subject (Hun) + verb (betaler) + adverb (også)
    If something else is placed first (time/place/etc.), the verb still stays second and the subject moves after it, e.g.:
  • I dag betaler hun også med betalingskort.
What does også mean here, and where can it go in the sentence?

Også means also / too. In a normal main clause it often appears after the verb:

  • Hun betaler også med betalingskort. You can move it for emphasis, but the meaning can shift slightly depending on what is being included as “also.” For example:
  • Hun betaler med betalingskort også is possible but sounds marked/less neutral.
Why do we say betaler med? Is med required?

Yes, med is the normal preposition for the method/instrument used to pay:

  • at betale med kort = to pay by card
    Without med, betale usually needs a direct object like en regning (a bill) or pengene (the money), e.g.:
  • Hun betaler regningen. (She pays the bill.) But when you specify how she pays, you typically use med.
What is betalingskort exactly? Is it credit card or debit card?

Betalingskort is a broad term meaning payment card (often covering debit cards and sometimes credit cards too).
More specific options:

  • kreditkort = credit card
  • debetkort = debit card (less common in everyday speech than just naming the type, e.g. Dankort)
    So betalingskort is a safe, general word.
How does the compound word betalingskort break down?

It’s a Danish compound:

  • betaling = payment
  • -s- = linking s commonly used in compounds
  • kort = card
    So literally payment-card.
Why is it fordi hun ikke har kontanter and not fordi hun har ikke kontanter?

After fordi, you typically get subordinate clause word order in Danish, where ikke comes before the main verb:

  • ... fordi hun ikke har kontanter. In a main clause, you’d normally place ikke after the verb:
  • Hun har ikke kontanter.
What does ikke negate here, and where does it usually go?

Here ikke negates the verb phrase har kontanter (has cash): she does not have cash.
Placement rule of thumb:

  • Main clause: verb + ikke → Hun har ikke ...
  • Subordinate clause (after fordi/at/der/som, etc.): ikke
    • verb → ... at hun ikke har ...
Is kontanter singular or plural, and why isn’t it en kontant?

Kontanter is normally used as a plural/mass noun meaning cash in general.
You can say en kontant only in special contexts (rare), but in everyday Danish you’d say:

  • kontanter (cash)
  • or kontant as an adverb: at betale kontant = to pay in cash
Could I replace kontanter with penge?

Sometimes, but the meaning changes slightly:

  • kontanter = cash (physical notes/coins)
  • penge = money (general), which can include money in the bank
    So hun ikke har penge sounds like she has no money at all, not just no cash on hand.
Why does Danish repeat hun in the second clause instead of leaving it out?
Because the second part fordi hun ikke har kontanter is a full subordinate clause with its own subject. Danish normally requires the subject there. You can’t drop hun the way you might in some languages.
What tense is betaler and har?

Both are present tense:

  • hun betaler = she pays / she is paying (context decides)
  • hun har = she has
    Danish present tense covers both habitual and “right now” meanings, similar to English depending on context.
How would the pronunciation likely sound, especially betalingskort and kontanter?

A practical approximation (varies by accent):

  • Hun betaler også med betalingskort: hun beh-TAY-ler AW-suh med beh-TA-lings-kort
  • fordi hun ikke har kontanter: for-DEE hun IK-uh har kon-TAN-ter
    Key learner notes:
  • -er endings (like in betaler) are often a reduced uh sound.
  • ikke is commonly pronounced something like ik-keh / ig-ge depending on speaker.