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Jeg venter hos lægen, mens jeg læser avisen.

Jeg venter hos lægen, mens jeg læser avisen.
I wait at the doctor’s, while I read the newspaper.

Breakdown of Jeg venter hos lægen, mens jeg læser avisen.

jeg
I
læse
to read
mens
while
avisen
the newspaper
vente
to wait
lægen
the doctor
hos
with
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Questions & Answers about Jeg venter hos lægen, mens jeg læser avisen.

Why is it Jeg venter and not Jeg venter på?

In Danish, vente often takes på when you’re waiting for someone/something:

  • Jeg venter på lægen. = I’m waiting for the doctor.
    But your sentence uses hos to express where you are waiting (at someone’s place / in their care):
  • Jeg venter hos lægen. = I’m waiting at the doctor’s (office).
What does the preposition hos mean here, and when do I use it?

Hos is used for being at someone’s place or under someone’s care/service, especially with people/professions:

  • hos lægen = at the doctor’s
  • hos tandlægen = at the dentist’s
  • hos frisøren = at the hairdresser’s
    You generally wouldn’t use hos for locations like buildings; it’s more “at X’s place” than “in a building.”
Why is lægen written with -en at the end?

That -en is the Danish definite ending (“the”). Danish often marks definiteness by adding an ending rather than using a separate word like the:

  • en læge = a doctor
  • lægen = the doctor
    Same pattern here:
  • en avis = a newspaper
  • avisen = the newspaper
Does avisen mean a specific newspaper, or can it mean “the newspaper” in general?

Both are possible depending on context. Danish often uses the definite form for everyday “generic” things too:

  • Jeg læser avisen. can mean “I’m reading the newspaper” (as a routine activity) or “I’m reading the (specific) newspaper.”
    If you want to stress “a (random) newspaper,” you can say en avis.
Why is there a comma before mens?

Because mens introduces a subordinate clause: mens jeg læser avisen. In standard Danish comma practice, you put a comma before subordinate clauses when they follow the main clause:

  • Jeg venter hos lægen, mens jeg læser avisen.
    Some comma systems differ in details, but this comma is very common and widely accepted.
What is the grammar of mens—is it like “while”?

Yes. mens works like “while” and links two actions happening at the same time:

  • Jeg venter … mens jeg læser … = I’m waiting … while I’m reading …
    It can also sometimes carry a contrast meaning similar to “whereas” in other contexts, but here it’s clearly the time/“while” meaning.
Why is the word order mens jeg læser avisen and not something like mens læser jeg avisen?

Because after a subordinating conjunction like mens, Danish uses subordinate clause word order: subject + verb (no inversion).

  • Subordinate clause: mens jeg læser avisen
    Compare with a main-clause starter that triggers inversion:
  • Nu læser jeg avisen. (Here Nu starts the main clause, so the verb comes before the subject.)
Are venter and læser present tense, and do they also mean “am waiting / am reading”?

Yes. Danish present tense often covers both simple present and present continuous English meanings. So:

  • Jeg venter = I wait / I’m waiting
  • jeg læser = I read / I’m reading
    Context usually makes the “ongoing right now” meaning clear.
Could I say Jeg sidder og læser avisen instead of jeg læser avisen?

Yes, and it would sound very natural if you want to emphasize the ongoing activity:

  • Jeg venter hos lægen, mens jeg sidder og læser avisen.
    The construction sidder og + verb often implies “(sitting there) doing something” right now.
Is hos lægen the same as ved lægen or i lægens klinik?

Not exactly:

  • hos lægen = at the doctor’s (most natural for an appointment/waiting room)
  • ved lægen is unusual in this meaning (it can sound like “by/next to the doctor”)
  • i lægens klinik = in the doctor’s clinic (more specific, slightly more formal/explicit)
How do you pronounce lægen and avisen (especially æ)?
  • læge / lægen: the æ is like a front vowel (similar to the vowel in English cat, but not identical). The g in læge is soft; many learners hear it almost like a “y/soft sound.”
  • avisen: stress is typically on the first syllable: A-vi-sen. The final -en is usually reduced and quick.
Could the sentence be reordered, like starting with Mens?

Yes, but then the main clause needs inversion (verb before subject) because the subordinate clause comes first:

  • Mens jeg læser avisen, venter jeg hos lægen.
    Notice venter jeg (verb before subject) in the main clause after the fronted clause.