Sæt dig ned i stuen, mens jeg laver kaffe.

Sit down in the living room while I make coffee.

Breakdown of Sæt dig ned i stuen, mens jeg laver kaffe.

• jeg: I
• i: in
• stuen: the living room
• mens: while
• kaffen: the coffee
• lave: to make
• sætte sig ned: to sit down

Questions & Answers about Sæt dig ned i stuen, mens jeg laver kaffe.

Why does the sentence start with Sæt—what form is that?

Sæt is the imperative (command) form of the verb at sætte (to set/put/place). In Danish, the imperative is typically just the verb stem:

• at sætte → Sæt!
  So Sæt dig ned ... literally means Sit down ... (more literally Set yourself down ...).

Why do we say Sæt dig—what is dig doing here?

Dig is the reflexive pronoun meaning yourself (object form of du). Danish often uses a reflexive construction where English just uses sit:

• Sæt dig ned = Sit down (literally Set yourself down)
  Other persons:
• Sæt jer ned = sit down (to several people)
• Sæt Dem ned = sit down (formal, older/very polite)

What is the function of ned in Sæt dig ned?

Ned is an adverb/particle meaning down. With certain verbs it forms a natural “particle verb” style expression:

• sætte sig = to seat oneself
• sætte sig ned = to sit down (emphasizes the motion of sitting down)
  You can sometimes omit ned, but Sæt dig ned is the most common everyday phrasing.

Why is it i stuen and not something like på stuen?

I is used for being inside an enclosed space/room: in the living room = i stuen.
På is used for surfaces (on) or certain locations/institutions (like på arbejde = at work). For a room like stuen, i is the normal choice.

What does stuen mean exactly, and why does it have -en?

Stue = living room/sitting room.
Stuen is the definite form: the living room. Danish often attaches the definite article as an ending:

• en stue = a living room
• stuen = the living room
  So i stuen is literally in the living room.

Is Sæt dig ned i stuen a full sentence on its own?

Yes. Sæt dig ned i stuen. is a complete imperative sentence: Sit down in the living room.
The rest (mens jeg laver kaffe) just adds extra information (what to do while something else happens).

What does mens do here, grammatically?

Mens is a conjunction meaning while. It introduces a subordinate clause:

• Main clause: Sæt dig ned i stuen
• Subordinate clause: mens jeg laver kaffe
  So it’s the same basic structure as English ..., while I make coffee.

Does mens affect word order in the clause mens jeg laver kaffe?

Yes: because it’s a subordinate clause, Danish uses subject before the finite verb (like English):

• mens jeg laver kaffe (subject jeg
  • verb laver)
    In contrast, Danish main clauses often have verb-second word order, but that rule doesn’t apply the same way inside subordinate clauses introduced by mens, at, fordi, etc.

Why is there a comma before mens?

Danish normally places a comma between a main clause and a subordinate clause. Here, mens jeg laver kaffe is a subordinate clause, so the comma is standard:
Sæt dig ned i stuen, mens jeg laver kaffe.
(Comma practices can vary a bit, but this is the typical rule-based punctuation.)

Why does Danish say laver kaffe instead of using a special verb like brygger?

At lave is a very common general verb meaning to make/do and is often used with food and drinks:

• lave mad = cook (make food)
• lave kaffe = make coffee
  At brygge kaffe also exists and is more specific (brew coffee), but lave kaffe is extremely common in everyday speech.

Why is it just kaffe—why no article like en?

Kaffe is usually treated as an uncountable noun (like English coffee), so you often say it without an article when you mean coffee in general or some coffee:

• jeg laver kaffe = I’m making coffee
  If you mean a specific portion/cup, you might say something like:
• en kop kaffe = a cup of coffee
• kaffen = the coffee (specific/known coffee)

Could I replace mens with imens or når?

Often, yes—but with slightly different style/meaning:

• mens = while (neutral, common)
• imens = while (often a bit more “in the meantime,” sometimes slightly more formal/literary)
• når = when (can mean “when” in the sense of at the time that; also used for repeated/habitual situations)
  For this exact situation (two things happening at the same time), mens is the most straightforward choice.

Is the imperative Sæt dig ned polite, or does it sound too direct?

It can be perfectly normal and friendly, especially with family/friends, because Danish often uses imperatives in a casual way. If you want to soften it, common options include:

• Sæt dig lige ned i stuen, mens jeg laver kaffe. (adds lige ≈ just/for a moment, softener)
• Vil du sætte dig ned i stuen ...? (Would you sit down ...?)
• Du kan sætte dig ned i stuen ... (You can sit down ...)