Jeg tænder printeren, men skærmen er stadig sort.

I turn on the printer, but the screen is still black.

Breakdown of Jeg tænder printeren, men skærmen er stadig sort.

• jeg: I
• være: to be
• men: but
• sort: black
• stadig: still
• tænde: to turn on
• printeren: the printer
• skærmen: the screen

Questions & Answers about Jeg tænder printeren, men skærmen er stadig sort.

Why are printeren and skærmen written as one word instead of using a separate word for the?

In Danish, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun.

• en printer = a printer
• printeren = the printer
• en skærm = a screen
• skærmen = the screen

So English the often becomes a suffix in Danish.

A separate article such as den is used in other situations, especially before an adjective:

• skærmen = the screen
• den sorte skærm = the black screen

Why is it tænder and not tænde?

Tænde is the infinitive form, equivalent to to turn on.

After jeg (I), you need the present tense:

• at tænde = to turn on
• jeg tænder = I turn on / I am turning on

A useful rule: Danish present tense verbs usually end in -er.

Also, Danish verbs do not change for different persons the way English sometimes does. You get:

• jeg tænder
• du tænder
• han/hun tænder
• vi tænder

Can tænde really be used for a printer?

Yes. Tænde is commonly used for turning on things that use power, such as lights, screens, TVs, and many other devices.

So jeg tænder printeren is a natural way to say I turn on the printer.

The opposite verb is slukke:

• Jeg tænder printeren. = I turn on the printer.
• Jeg slukker printeren. = I turn off the printer.

In some contexts, Danish speakers might also say starte printeren, but tænde is perfectly normal when you mean powering it on.

Why is the word order skærmen er stadig sort after men?

Because men means but and joins two main clauses.

Both parts are normal main clauses:

• Jeg tænder printeren
• skærmen er stadig sort

In a normal Danish main clause, the verb usually comes in second position, and if the subject comes first, the order is:

subject + verb

So:

• skærmen er ...

There is no special inversion here just because of men.

Where does stadig go in the sentence?

Stadig usually comes after the finite verb in a simple main clause like this.

So:

• skærmen er stadig sort

is the natural order.

This is a common pattern with adverbs like stadig in Danish:

• subject
• finite verb
• adverb
• rest of sentence

Could I use endnu instead of stadig here?

Usually, stadig is the best choice here.

• stadig = still, for a situation that continues
• endnu often means yet or still in slightly different contexts

So:

• Skærmen er stadig sort = The screen is still black

sounds more natural than using endnu in this sentence.

Why is it sort and not sorte?

Here, sort is the adjective used after er.

In this sentence, the adjective is predicative: it comes after the verb to be, not directly before the noun.

• skærmen er sort = the screen is black

You often see sorte in plural or definite adjective phrases:

• sorte skærme = black screens
• den sorte skærm = the black screen

So sort is correct here.

What gender are printer and skærm, and why does that matter?

Both printer and skærm are common gender nouns in Danish:

• en printer
• en skærm

That matters because common gender nouns usually take -en in the definite form:

• printeren
• skærmen

If a noun were neuter, it would usually take -et instead:

• et hus → huset

Is the comma before men necessary?

Yes, in normal written Danish, a comma before men is standard when it joins two clauses like this:

• Jeg tænder printeren, men skærmen er stadig sort.

So the comma here is not random; it helps show that two clauses are being connected.

How do you pronounce tænder, and is it the same word as tænder meaning teeth?

Yes, tænder can also mean teeth. The form is the same, and the meaning is understood from context.

In this sentence, jeg tænder can only mean I turn on.

As for pronunciation, æ is a vowel sound that does not exist exactly the same way in English, but it is somewhat similar to the vowel in bed, said a bit more openly. Also, the d in tænder is very soft in Danish and may be hard for learners to hear clearly.