Breakdown of Jeg lader tæppet ligge på sofaen, mens jeg læser avisen.
Questions & Answers about Jeg lader tæppet ligge på sofaen, mens jeg læser avisen.
Because lader ... ligge means leave something lying/staying where it is (i.e., you don’t move it).
- Jeg lægger tæppet på sofaen = I put/lay the blanket onto the sofa (movement).
- Jeg lader tæppet ligge på sofaen = I leave the blanket lying on the sofa (no movement; you allow it to remain there).
It’s a common Danish pattern meaning let/allow/leave something to be/do:
- Jeg lader [tæppet] [ligge] = I let/leave [the blanket] [to lie].
There is no “at” before the infinitive here (similar to English let: not let to lie).
Yes, lader is present tense of at lade. Typical forms:
- infinitive: lade
- present: lader
- past: lod
- past participle: ladet
So: Jeg lod tæppet ligge... = I left the blanket lying...
tæppet is the definite form: the blanket.
Danish often prefers the definite form when the item is specific/known in context (like “the blanket” in the room).
- et tæppe = a blanket (indefinite, introducing it)
- tæppet = the blanket (specific)
Same reason: sofaen is definite (the sofa), implying a particular sofa (likely the one in your home).
- på sofaen = on the sofa (specific)
- på en sofa = on a sofa (any sofa, less common in everyday context unless you mean an unspecified one)
This is a key Danish pair:
- ligge = to lie / be lying (position; no movement)
- lægge = to lay / put down (movement; causes something to lie)
In the sentence, the blanket is already in a position, so ligge fits: you leave it in that lying state.
Because mens introduces a subordinate clause (mens jeg læser avisen). In Danish, it’s standard to put a comma before many subordinate clauses:
- main clause: Jeg lader tæppet ligge på sofaen,
- subordinate clause: mens jeg læser avisen.
(Some modern styles use optional comma rules, but this comma is very common and safe.)
Yes. After mens, you get subordinate clause word order, where the verb does not have to be in second position:
- mens jeg læser avisen (subject jeg
- verb læser)
In many subordinate clauses, things like negation/adverbs often come before the verb (e.g., mens jeg ikke læser avisen).
- verb læser)
Yes, and then you get verb-second (inversion) in the main clause:
- Mens jeg læser avisen, lader jeg tæppet ligge på sofaen.
Notice: lader jeg (verb comes before subject) because something other than the subject is in first position.
It can’t be omitted here because you have two separate clauses, and Danish requires an explicit subject in each clause:
- Jeg lader ..., mens jeg læser ...
Even if it’s the same person doing both actions, you still repeat jeg.
Both can mean “while,” but:
- mens is the most common and neutral.
- imens can sound a bit more formal or slightly more “in the meantime.”
In many everyday sentences like this, mens is the natural choice.
avisen is definite: the newspaper—often meaning a specific one (today’s paper, your usual paper, etc.).
- jeg læser avisen often functions like “I’m reading the paper” (a common, generic habit but still expressed with the definite form).
- jeg læser en avis = I’m reading a newspaper (one of many; more “some newspaper”).
- æ is a front vowel somewhat like the a in “cat” for many learners, though Danish pronunciation varies by speaker.
- tæppet is roughly TEP-uhd for an English ear, but the final -et is often reduced (the ending can sound like a soft, unstressed syllable).
Listening and imitation matter a lot for Danish vowels.
In many Danish words, d is “soft” (not a clear English d). In lader, the d may sound more like a soft, voiced sound (often compared to a “th-like” or approximant quality, depending on accent).
A practical tip: aim for a very light consonant between the vowels rather than a strong stop d.
Yes. at lade is used for “let/allow” as well:
- Lad mig se! = Let me see!
- Jeg lader ham gå. = I let him go.
In your sentence it’s more the “leave something as it is” use: lader tæppet ligge.