Når jeg går i bad, tørrer jeg mig med et rent håndklæde.

When I take a shower, I dry myself with a clean towel.

Breakdown of Når jeg går i bad, tørrer jeg mig med et rent håndklæde.

• jeg: I
• et: a
• når: when
• ren: clean
• med: with
• mig: myself
• håndklædet: the towel
• tørre: to dry
• gå i bad: to take a shower

Questions & Answers about Når jeg går i bad, tørrer jeg mig med et rent håndklæde.

Why does the sentence start with Når, and when do I use når vs da?

Når introduces a time clause meaning something like when/whenever in a general, repeated sense (a routine). Use når for habits and repeated situations.
Da is typically used for a single, completed event in the past (more like when referring to that one time).

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Why is there a comma after Når jeg går i bad?

In Danish, a subordinate clause (like the Når-clause) is normally separated from the main clause with a comma. So Når jeg går i bad, is the subordinate clause, and tørrer jeg mig med et rent håndklæde is the main clause.

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Why is the word order tørrer jeg and not jeg tørrer?

Danish is a V2 language (verb-second in main clauses). When something other than the subject comes first (here the whole Når-clause), the finite verb in the main clause comes next, and the subject follows it:

• Fronted element: Når jeg går i bad,
• Verb (2nd position): tørrer
• Subject: jeg

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What does går i bad literally mean, and is it the normal way to say take a shower/bath?

Literally it’s go into bath, but idiomatically gå i bad means to bathe / take a shower / take a bath depending on context. It’s very common in everyday Danish as a general expression for washing yourself.

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Why are both verbs in the present tense (går, tørrer)?

Present tense in Danish often covers habitual actions (what you generally do), not just what is happening right now. So present tense fits routines like Whenever I bathe, I dry myself...

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Why is mig used here—what kind of pronoun is it?

Mig is the object form of jeg (me). In this sentence it’s also reflexive in meaning: you’re drying yourself. Danish often uses the normal object pronoun for this (here mig) rather than a special reflexive form.

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Can I leave out mig and just say tørrer jeg med et rent håndklæde?

Usually no, because tørre needs an object: you dry something. Without mig, it sounds incomplete (dry what?). Keeping mig makes it clear that you dry yourself.

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Why is the order tørrer jeg mig and not tørrer mig jeg?

In Danish main-clause word order after inversion, the subject (jeg) comes right after the finite verb (tørrer). Objects like mig then follow:

• tørrer (verb) + jeg (subject) + mig (object)

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What does med et rent håndklæde contribute grammatically?

med means with, and here it marks the instrument you use to do the action (you dry yourself with something). The phrase et rent håndklæde is an indefinite noun phrase: a clean towel.

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Why is it et and rent (not en / ren)?

Håndklæde is a neuter noun (an et-word), so it takes:

• et (indefinite article for neuter)
• rent (adjective agreement: neuter singular indefinite)

For a common gender (en-word) noun, you’d typically use en + adjective without -t (e.g., en ren ...).

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What are the other forms of håndklæde (definite and plural)?

Common forms are:

• Indefinite singular: et håndklæde
• Definite singular: håndklædet (the towel)
• Indefinite plural: håndklæder (towels)
• Definite plural: håndklæderne (the towels)

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Is there another common way to say dry myself in Danish?

Yes. You’ll also hear tørre mig af (dry myself off).

• tørre mig = focuses on the act of drying
• tørre mig af = often emphasizes drying off after water (very natural after a shower)