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Jeg afleverer opgaven til læreren, før timen begynder.

Jeg afleverer opgaven til læreren, før timen begynder.
I hand in the assignment to the teacher before the lesson begins.
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Questions & Answers about Jeg afleverer opgaven til læreren, før timen begynder.

Why is afleverer in the present tense here? Could it also be past or future?

Danish often uses the present tense for actions that are habitual, scheduled, or “current plan” actions. Jeg afleverer … can mean:

  • I hand in … (habit / general statement)
  • I’m handing in … (happening now or around now)
  • I’m going to hand in … (near-future plan, depending on context)

If you want to make past explicit, you’d typically use:

  • Jeg afleverede opgaven … = I handed in the assignment …

For a clearer future meaning, you can add a time expression or modal:

  • Jeg afleverer opgaven i morgen … = I’m handing it in tomorrow …
  • Jeg skal aflevere opgaven … = I have to / am going to hand in the assignment …
What exactly does aflevere mean, and is it the same as indlevere?

At aflevere is the common everyday verb for handing in / submitting / delivering something to the person or place responsible for receiving it (an assignment, a form, keys, etc.).

At indlevere also means hand in/submit, and is especially common in more formal/administrative contexts or where “submission” is emphasized (e.g., official documents). In many school contexts, both are possible, but aflevere is very natural and frequent.

Why is it opgaven and not en opgave?

opgaven is the definite form: the assignment. Danish often uses the definite form when the listener can identify which one you mean (e.g., your homework assignment for today).

Forms:

  • en opgave = an assignment (indefinite)
  • opgaven = the assignment (definite)

If it’s not a specific known assignment, you’d more likely say:

  • Jeg afleverer en opgave til læreren … = I hand in an assignment to the teacher …
Why is it til læreren and not til en lærer or for læreren?
  • til læreren = to the teacher (a specific teacher, definite form)
  • til en lærer = to a teacher (some teacher, not specified)

The preposition til is the normal choice for indicating the recipient/direction: hand in to someone.

for læreren usually means for the teacher in the sense of on behalf of the teacher or intended for the teacher, not necessarily physically handing it to them.

What’s going on with the definite ending -en in læreren?

In Danish, many common-gender nouns (gender: en-words) form the definite singular by adding -en.

  • en lærer = a teacher
  • læreren = the teacher

This -en functions like English the (but attached to the noun).

Why is the word order Jeg afleverer opgaven… and not something like Jeg opgaven afleverer…?

Danish main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb (here afleverer) is in the second position.

So you typically get: 1) something (often the subject)
2) the finite verb
3) then objects/adverbials

Jeg (1) + afleverer (2) + opgaven (3) …

Why is there a comma before før?

In Danish, it’s standard to use a comma to mark the boundary before a subordinate clause introduced by words like før, at, når, hvis, etc.

So:

  • …, før timen begynder.
    The comma separates the main clause from the subordinate clause.

(You may sometimes see styles that vary, but this comma is very normal and recommended.)

Why doesn’t the subordinate clause invert the word order? Why timen begynder and not begynder timen?

In Danish subordinate clauses, the word order is generally subject + verb (no V2 inversion like in main clauses).

So after før you get:

  • før timen begynder = before the lesson begins

If you wrote før begynder timen, that would sound ungrammatical in standard Danish.

Is timen literally “the hour”? Why is it used for “lesson/class period”?

Yes, en time literally means an hour, but in school contexts timen very often means the lesson / class period (because a class period is typically an hour-ish unit).

So:

  • timen = the (class) lesson / the period
  • klassen can mean the class/group of students, not the time period
  • undervisningen can mean the teaching/instruction (more formal)
How do you pronounce afleverer, opgaven, and læreren?

Approximate guidance (details vary by accent):

  • afleverer: stress usually on the first part AF-, and the final -er is often a reduced sound (similar to a very soft “uh”).
  • opgaven: o- is fairly open; -en at the end is reduced.
  • læreren: the æ is a front vowel (somewhere between “a” in cat and “e” in bed, depending on your English accent), and the r influences the vowel; the ending -en is reduced.

If you want, I can give IPA for a specific Danish accent (e.g., Copenhagen/Standard).

Could I put the før-clause at the beginning of the sentence?

Yes. If you front it, remember Danish main-clause V2 word order: the verb still has to be in position 2 in the main clause, so you get inversion:

  • Før timen begynder, afleverer jeg opgaven til læreren.

Notice afleverer comes right after the fronted clause, and jeg moves after the verb.

What’s the difference between før and inden in this kind of sentence?

Both can often translate as before, but:

  • før is extremely common and neutral in everyday Danish.
  • inden can feel a bit more formal or “within/earlier than a deadline” depending on context.

In many cases, both work:

  • …, før timen begynder.
  • …, inden timen begynder.

But før is the most straightforward choice here.

Do I need a possessive like min (my) in opgaven?

Not necessarily. Danish often leaves out possessives when context makes ownership obvious (especially with schoolwork, body parts, family relations, etc.).

So opgaven can naturally imply my/the assignment we’re talking about. If you want to be explicit, you can say:

  • Jeg afleverer min opgave til læreren … = I hand in my assignment …