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Hvis jeg har travlt, bliver mødet i stuen forsinket.

Hvis jeg har travlt, bliver mødet i stuen forsinket.
If I’m busy, the meeting in the living room gets delayed.
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Questions & Answers about Hvis jeg har travlt, bliver mødet i stuen forsinket.

Why does the sentence start with Hvis, and what kind of clause is Hvis jeg har travlt?

Hvis introduces a conditional subordinate clause (an if-clause).
So Hvis jeg har travlt is the condition, and the rest of the sentence is the result.

Why is there a comma after travlt?

In Danish, it’s normal (and in many styles required) to put a comma between a subordinate clause and the main clause when the subordinate clause comes first:
Hvis jeg har travlt, + main clause.
(There are different comma conventions in Danish, but this comma is very common and usually expected.)

Why is the word order bliver mødet instead of mødet bliver?

Because Danish is a V2 language in main clauses: the finite verb (here bliver) must be in the second position.

When the sentence begins with a subordinate clause (Hvis …), that whole clause counts as position 1. So the main clause starts with: 1) (position 1) Hvis jeg har travlt,
2) (position 2) bliver
3) then the subject: mødet
So: Hvis …, bliver mødet …

Is bliver forsinket a passive? Why use bliver here?

Yes, bliver + past participle is a very common way to form the passive (or a “becoming” passive) in Danish:

  • bliver forsinket = gets delayed / is delayed (as a result of something)

It often suggests a change or an event happening, rather than a static state.

Could I also say mødet forsinkes instead of bliver mødet forsinket?

Often yes. Danish has an -s passive:

  • Mødet forsinkes. = The meeting is (being) delayed.

A rough difference:

  • bliver forsinket often feels more like ends up getting delayed (event/change).
  • forsinkes can sound more neutral or process-like (is being delayed).

In your sentence, both can work depending on style.

Why not use er forsinket instead of bliver forsinket?

er forsinket usually describes a state:

  • Mødet er forsinket. = The meeting is delayed (it’s already in that delayed state).

bliver forsinket focuses on the result happening because of the condition:

  • If I’m busy, the meeting gets delayed (it becomes delayed).
What does har travlt literally mean, and is it an idiom?

It’s an idiomatic expression meaning to be busy / to be in a hurry.
Literally it’s like have busy, but you should treat at have travlt as a fixed Danish phrase.

You can also say:

  • Jeg har meget travlt. = I’m very busy.
Why is it mødet and not møde?

møde is the indefinite form (a meeting).
mødet is the definite form (the meeting).

Danish usually forms the definite by adding an ending:

  • et møde (a meeting) → mødet (the meeting)
How do I know the gender of møde, and why is it et møde?

møde is neuter gender, so it takes et in the indefinite: et møde.
Neuter nouns typically take -et in the definite: mødet.
(You usually learn noun gender together with the noun: et møde, en stol, etc.)

What exactly does i stuen mean here, and why i?

stue means living room / sitting room (and in some contexts “lounge/common room”).
i stuen means in the living room.

i is used for being located inside a place (location). If you were talking about movement into it, Danish often uses ind i stuen (into the living room).

Why is stuen definite too (the living room)?

Danish often uses the definite form for familiar, specific places in context—especially in a home or a known setting:

  • i stuen = in the living room (the one we both know).

Indefinite would be:

  • i en stue = in a living room (some living room, not a specific known one).
How is forsinket functioning here—verb or adjective?

forsinket is the past participle of at forsinke (to delay).
In bliver forsinket, it functions as part of the passive construction (and it also resembles an adjective in form).
You can also use it adjectivally:

  • Et forsinket møde = a delayed meeting.