Enten printer jeg dokumentet nu, eller også sender jeg filen senere.

Either I print the document now, or I send the file later.

Breakdown of Enten printer jeg dokumentet nu, eller også sender jeg filen senere.

• jeg: I
• nu: now
• sende: to send
• senere: later
• dokumentet: the document
• filen: the file
• enten: either
• printe: to print
• eller også: or

Questions & Answers about Enten printer jeg dokumentet nu, eller også sender jeg filen senere.

What does enten ... eller også ... mean here?

It is the Danish way to set up an either ... or ... choice.

• enten = either
• eller også = or / or else

So the sentence gives two alternatives. In natural English, this is simply either X or Y.

Why is the word order printer jeg and sender jeg, not jeg printer and jeg sender?

This is because Danish main clauses normally follow the V2 rule: the finite verb comes in the second position.

In this sentence, enten comes first, so the verb has to come next:

• Enten printer jeg dokumentet nu
• ... eller også sender jeg filen senere

A very literal structure is:

• Either print I the document now
• or also send I the file later

That sounds wrong in English, but it is normal Danish word order.

Is også in eller også really the same word as also?

Yes, it is the same word historically, but here you should treat eller også as a fixed expression.

In this pattern, også does not mean also in the ordinary English sense. You should understand eller også as part of the full either/or structure.

So here:

• enten ... eller også ...

works as one pair.

Do I have to use også after eller?

Not always. You can also say enten ... eller ....

However, when the two alternatives are full clauses, eller også is very common and often sounds clearer or a bit more balanced:

• Enten printer jeg dokumentet nu, eller også sender jeg filen senere.
• Enten printer jeg dokumentet nu, eller sender jeg filen senere.

Both are understandable, but the version with også is very natural here.

Why are dokumentet and filen one word, instead of using a separate word for the?

Because Danish usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun.

So:

• dokument = document
• dokumentet = the document
• fil = file
• filen = the file

Unlike English, Danish often does not need a separate word like the before the noun.

Why does one noun end in -et and the other in -en?

That depends on the noun’s gender.

Danish has two grammatical genders in modern standard Danish:

• common gender
• neuter

The definite ending changes accordingly:

• common gender usually takes -en
• neuter usually takes -et

So here:

• en fil → filen
• et dokument → dokumentet

This is something learners have to memorize along with the noun.

What tense are printer and sender?

They are both in the present tense.

• at printe → printer
• at sende → sender

In Danish, the present tense is often used where English might use will or another future form. Because the sentence already includes time words like nu and senere, Danish does not need a separate future marker.

So Danish can use the present tense for future meaning very naturally.

Is printe a real Danish verb? Shouldn’t it be something else?

Yes, at printe is a real and very common Danish verb, especially in everyday speech and modern usage.

That said, a more traditional or formal verb is at udskrive.

So you may also see:

• Enten udskriver jeg dokumentet nu, eller også sender jeg filen senere.

Both are fine, but printe is very common in everyday Danish.

Why are nu and senere placed at the end of each clause?

They are time adverbs, and in a neutral Danish sentence they often come fairly late in the clause, especially after the object.

So the basic pattern here is:

• verb + subject + object + time expression

That gives:

• printer jeg dokumentet nu
• sender jeg filen senere

You can move time words for emphasis, but this version is the most neutral and natural.

Does enten have to be at the beginning of the sentence?

Not always, but in this kind of sentence it is the most natural place.

Putting enten first makes the two alternatives very clear right away. Danish can place enten before a smaller part of the sentence too, but with two full alternatives like this, sentence-initial enten is the clearest and most idiomatic choice.

So for this sentence, Enten ... eller også ... at the start is a very good model to learn.

Why is there a comma before eller også?

Because the sentence contains two coordinated main clauses:

• Enten printer jeg dokumentet nu
• eller også sender jeg filen senere

Each clause has its own finite verb and subject, so a comma is standard here in written Danish.

Could I translate the structure word-for-word into English?

Not very well. A word-for-word version would sound unnatural because Danish and English organize the sentence differently.

A rough literal version would be:

• Either print I the document now, or also send I the file later.

That is useful for seeing the grammar, but not for natural English. The important lesson is:

• Danish uses V2 word order
• Danish often uses a suffixed definite article
• eller også is part of a very common either/or pattern