Breakdown of Lad paraplyen blive i skabet, hvis det ikke regner.
Questions & Answers about Lad paraplyen blive i skabet, hvis det ikke regner.
Lad is the imperative (command) form of the verb lade (to let / allow / have someone do something).
In instructions, Danish often uses Lad + object + infinitive to mean Let X do/remain... or more idiomatically Leave X...
So Lad paraplyen blive ... ≈ Leave the umbrella ...
paraplyen is the definite form: the umbrella.
- en paraply = an umbrella (indefinite)
- paraplyen = the umbrella (definite)
In a practical instruction, Danish commonly uses the definite when the umbrella is understood from context (e.g., your umbrella).
blive can mean become, but it also commonly means remain / stay.
In Lad paraplyen blive i skabet, blive means remain: Leave the umbrella in the cupboard (i.e., let it stay there).
være means be (state), but Danish typically uses blive for staying/remaining somewhere in this kind of instruction.
- Lad den blive her = Let it stay here (very natural)
- Lad den være her can sound more like let it be here / allow it to be here, and is less idiomatic for “leave it here.”
After lade (and therefore after imperative Lad), Danish uses an infinitive verb to describe the action/state you are “letting” happen:
Lad + (someone/something) + infinitive
So: Lad paraplyen blive ...
i skabet means in the cupboard/closet.
Danish uses i for location inside something (like English in).
(Contrast: på = on, ved = by/near, under = under.)
Danish nouns normally need either:
- an article (indefinite): i et skab = in a cupboard, or
- a definite ending (definite): i skabet = in the cupboard
Bare i skab isn’t grammatical in standard Danish.
hvis introduces a condition: if.
So ..., hvis det ikke regner means ... if it isn’t raining.
Yes, often:
- hvis = if (a real condition; not guaranteed)
- når = when (expected/recurring; more like “whenever/when it happens”)
So hvis det ikke regner = if it’s not raining (conditional), while når det ikke regner would sound more like when/whenever it’s not raining.
In weather expressions, Danish uses det as a dummy subject (like English it):
- det regner = it’s raining
det doesn’t refer to a specific thing; it’s just required grammatically.
In a subordinate clause introduced by hvis, the typical word order is:
subject + (adverb like ikke) + verb
So:
- hvis det ikke regner (correct)
Not: hvis det regner ikke (that word order is not used in modern standard Danish).
The comma separates the main clause from the subordinate clause. In Danish, many writers place a comma before subordinate clauses like hvis ....
Depending on the comma system someone follows, you may see variation, but Lad paraplyen blive i skabet, hvis det ikke regner. is a very common and accepted punctuation choice.
Yes. You can front the hvis-clause, and then Danish uses inversion in the main clause (verb comes before the subject/object part after the clause):
Hvis det ikke regner, lad paraplyen blive i skabet.
That’s normal Danish main-clause word order after an initial clause.
Yes, depending on nuance:
- Lad paraplyen stå i skabet, hvis det ikke regner. = Leave the umbrella standing in the cupboard... (very natural for objects)
- Lad paraplyen ligge i skabet... = leave it lying... (if it’s stored lying down)
blive is neutral and works well, but stå/ligge can sound more idiomatic for physical placement.
Approximate guidance (varies by accent):
- paraplyen: stress usually on the last syllable of the base word: para-PLY-en
- blive: sounds roughly like blee-veh (with a soft v)
- regner: roughly RINE-ner / RAIN-ner (the g is not a hard English “g” sound here)