Jeg bliver gal, hvis toget er forsinket.

I get angry if the train is delayed.

Breakdown of Jeg bliver gal, hvis toget er forsinket.

• jeg: I
• være: to be
• blive: to become
• hvis: if
• toget: the train
• forsinket: delayed
• gal: wrong

Questions & Answers about Jeg bliver gal, hvis toget er forsinket.

Why does the sentence start with Jeg, and is it always necessary to include the subject pronoun in Danish?

Yes—Danish normally requires an explicit subject. You can’t usually drop jeg the way you might in some other languages. So Jeg bliver gal ... is the standard, natural form.

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What does bliver mean here, and why not er?

bliver is the present tense of at blive (to become / to get).
So Jeg bliver gal means I get angry / I become mad (a change of state).
Jeg er gal would mean I am angry/mad (a state you’re already in).

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Does gal mean “crazy” or “angry” in Danish?

It can mean both depending on context. In everyday speech, blive gal is very commonly to get angry.
If you want to be unambiguous about “crazy,” you might use other wording depending on the situation, but in this sentence the natural reading is “angry.”

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Why is it hvis and not når?

Both can translate as “if/when,” but they’re used differently:

• hvis = if (a condition, not guaranteed)
• når = when (something expected/inevitable or habitual)

Here, the delay is a condition: hvis toget er forsinket = “if the train is delayed.”

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Why is the word order hvis toget er forsinket and not hvis er toget forsinket?

In a subordinate clause introduced by hvis, Danish uses normal subject–verb order:

• hvis toget er forsinket (subject toget before verb er)

You do not use the main-clause inversion pattern after hvis.

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Why does Danish use present tense (bliver, er) even though English might say “will” (e.g., “I’ll get mad if…” )?

Danish often uses the present tense in both the main clause and the hvis-clause to talk about future situations, as long as the meaning is clear from context.
So Jeg bliver gal, hvis ... is a very normal way to express a future conditional.

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Why is there a comma before hvis?

Because hvis toget er forsinket is a subordinate clause. Danish punctuation normally places a comma before subordinate clauses introduced by words like hvis, fordi, at, etc.
So: Jeg bliver gal, hvis ...

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What exactly is toget grammatically? Why not et tog?

toget is the train: tog + definite ending -et (common for neuter nouns).

• et tog = “a train” (indefinite)
• toget = “the train” (a specific one—typically “my/the train I’m taking”)

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How does the adjective form work in er forsinket?

forsinket is used like a predicate adjective after er (“is”). It matches the idea of the subject being in a state:

• toget er forsinket = “the train is delayed”
  You’ll often see forsinket used exactly this way.

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Can I move the hvis-clause to the front? What happens to word order?

Yes. If you front the subordinate clause, the main clause becomes an inversion (V2) clause:

• Hvis toget er forsinket, bliver jeg gal.
  Notice bliver comes before jeg in the main clause after the fronted clause.

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How is Jeg bliver gal pronounced (especially bliver and gal)?

A practical learner-friendly guide:

• jeg often sounds like yai / jaj (depending on accent/speed)
• bliver is often reduced in speech (the e can be very weak)
• gal has a long vowel and a “soft” Danish l sound
  If you want, tell me which accent (Copenhagen vs. other) you’re aiming for and I can give a more precise phonetic rendering.

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Are there other natural ways to say this sentence in Danish?

Yes, a few common alternatives with slightly different tone:

• Jeg bliver sur, hvis toget er forsinket. (often milder: “I get annoyed”)
• Jeg bliver rasende, hvis toget er forsinket. (stronger: “furious”)
• Jeg bliver gal, hvis toget bliver forsinket. (possible, but usually you’d just say er forsinket)