Log inSign up

Lad være med at tænde lyset, hvis du vil se stjernerne.

Lad være med at tænde lyset, hvis du vil se stjernerne.
Don’t turn on the light if you want to see the stars.
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Danish grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Danish now

Questions & Answers about Lad være med at tænde lyset, hvis du vil se stjernerne.

What does Lad være med at ... literally mean, and why use it instead of just Ikke ...?

Lad være med at ... literally comes from lade (lad = imperative let) + være (be) and functions idiomatically as refrain from / don’t do ....
It’s a very common Danish way to give a “don’t” instruction, often sounding a bit more natural/idiomatic than simply putting ikke in front of a verb.

  • Lad være med at tænde lyset = Don’t (go) turning on the light / Refrain from turning on the light
  • A more direct alternative is Tænd ikke lyset ... = Don’t turn on the light ... (also correct)
Is med required in Lad være med at ...? Can you say Lad være at ...?

In modern everyday Danish, Lad være med at + infinitive is the standard pattern.
You may sometimes see/hear Lad være at + infinitive, but it’s less common and can sound more formal/older-fashioned to many speakers. If you want the safest, most idiomatic choice: use med at.

Why is there an at before tænde?

Because tænde is an infinitive here, and Danish commonly uses at to mark the infinitive (similar to English to).
The structure is:

  • Lad være med at
    • infinitive
      So: ... at tænde = ... to turn on
What tense/mood is Lad in? Is it a command?

Yes. Lad is the imperative (command form) of the verb lade (to let).
So the whole sentence begins with an imperative instruction: Lad være med ... = Don’t / Refrain from ...

Why is it tænde lyset and not tænde et lys?

Lyset is the light (definite form), usually referring to a specific light in the context (the room light, porch light, etc.).
Et lys means a candle / a light (one unit) and often suggests an actual candle or a single light source.

  • tænde lyset = turn on the (electric) light
  • tænde et lys = light a candle / light a (single) light
How do I know whether tænde means “light” (like a candle) or “turn on” (like a lamp)?

Context and the object decide a lot:

  • tænde lyset / lampen / fjernsynet = turn on the light/lamp/TV
  • tænde et lys / tænde et stearinlys = light a candle
    Danish uses tænde broadly for “cause to be on/burning.”
Why is the word order normal in hvis du vil se stjernerne—why not inversion?

Because hvis introduces a subordinate clause. In Danish subordinate clauses, you typically do not invert subject and verb the way you do in main clauses.

  • Main clause question-like inversion (not used here): Vil du se stjernerne?
  • Subordinate clause with hvis: hvis du vil se stjernerne (subject du before vil)
Does vil here mean “will” or “want”?

In this sentence vil means want to (intention/desire), not future tense.
So hvis du vil se ... = if you want to see ...
(vil can also mean will in other contexts, but “want to” is very common.)

Why is it se stjernerne (definite plural) instead of se stjerner?

Both can be possible, but stjernerne often sounds most natural when you mean the stars (in the sky, as a whole set)—a familiar, specific set in context.
Using the definite here is a common Danish way to talk about something as a known “category in the situation” (the stars you can see tonight).

What’s the purpose of the comma before hvis?

It separates the main clause from the hvis-clause (a subordinate clause).
Danish comma rules vary (especially depending on whether someone uses the “new comma” system or not), but placing a comma before a subordinate clause like this is very common and widely accepted.

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

Yes. If you front the hvis-clause, the following main clause typically has inversion (verb before subject) because the clause takes first position:

  • Hvis du vil se stjernerne, lad være med at tænde lyset.
    Here lad comes right after the fronted clause.
How is the sentence pronounced (roughly), and where is the stress?

A rough guide (very approximate, since Danish phonetics is tricky):

  • Lad VÆRE med at TÆNde LYset, hvis du vil se STJERnerne.
    Typical stress falls on the key content words (være, tænde, lyset, stjernerne).
    Also note:
  • lyset is often closer to ly-set with a soft d-like quality absent; the t at the end is clear.
  • stjernerne has a reduced ending (-ne) that may sound like a quick, unstressed syllable.