Der er plads nok på fortovet, selv når mange mennesker kommer fra metroen.

Der er is the standard Danish way to say that something exists or is present, like English there is / there are.

So:

Der er plads nok = There is enough space

Here, der is not really about location. It is a grammatical starter used in existential sentences. A learner often wants to translate it as literal there, but in this sentence it functions more like a dummy subject.

That is also why Det er plads nok would not work here. Det er is used for identification or description, not for saying that something exists.

Because plads here means space/room, which is usually treated as an uncountable noun.

So Danish says:

Der er plads nok = There is enough space

not:

Der er en plads nok

If you were talking about a seat or a spot, then plads can be countable:

Jeg har en plads = I have a seat / a place

But in your sentence, it means physical room, so no article is needed.

Both patterns can exist in Danish, but plads nok is very natural and idiomatic.

Danish often places nok after a noun in expressions meaning enough:

• tid nok = enough time
• penge nok = enough money
• mad nok = enough food
• plads nok = enough space

You may also hear nok plads, and it is not necessarily wrong, but plads nok sounds especially natural in a sentence like this.

A simple way to remember it:

• plads nok = a very common Danish way to say enough space

Fortovet breaks down like this:

• fortov = sidewalk / pavement
• -et = the (definite ending for a neuter noun)

So:

fortovet = the sidewalk

In Danish, the definite article is often attached to the end of the noun instead of standing as a separate word.

Compare:

• et fortov = a sidewalk
• fortovet = the sidewalk

Also, på fortovet is the normal Danish way to say on the sidewalk.

Because Danish normally uses på with fortov when talking about being or moving on the surface of the sidewalk.

So:

• på fortovet = on the sidewalk

This is just the standard preposition here. English and Danish often match with on/på in this kind of physical location.

This is an important distinction.

Selv når means even when and is often used for something that can happen repeatedly or whenever a certain situation occurs.

Selv om means even though / although and is more about contrast with a fact.

In this sentence, the idea is:

There is enough space on the sidewalk, even when many people come from the metro.

That is a repeated type of situation, so selv når fits very well.

Compare:

• selv når det regner = even when it rains
• selv om det regner = even though it is raining

The first sounds more general or habitual; the second sounds more like one actual fact.

Because når introduces a subordinate clause, and subordinate clauses do not follow the normal Danish main-clause verb-second pattern.

So after når, the usual order is:

subject + verb

That gives:

når mange mennesker kommer fra metroen

not:

når kommer mange mennesker fra metroen

The second version would sound wrong here.

A useful comparison:

• Main clause: Mange mennesker kommer fra metroen.
• Subordinate clause: ... når mange mennesker kommer fra metroen.

The order stays straightforward after når.

Because the sentence describes a general situation, not one single event happening right now.

Danish uses the present tense for:

• habits
• repeated situations
• general truths
• things that typically happen

So mange mennesker kommer fra metroen means something like:

when many people come from the metro
or
when lots of people are coming from the metro

In English, we also often use the present for this kind of general meaning.

Metroen means the metro.

Here the definite form is used because it refers to the known metro system or the metro in that context. Danish very often uses the definite form when the thing is understood from the situation.

So:

• metro = metro
• metroen = the metro

Also notice that the definite ending here is -en, not -et, because metro is a common-gender noun.

Yes, literally it does. But in natural English, depending on context, you might also think of it as:

• come out of the metro
• come from the metro station
• come up from the metro

Danish fra is broad and often covers meanings that English might express more specifically.

So a learner should understand fra metroen as the general source or origin of movement: the people are emerging from or arriving from the metro area.

Yes, possibly, but the nuance changes a little.

• mennesker = people, human beings
• folk = people, folks

In this sentence, mange mennesker sounds neutral and standard.

Mange folk is also possible in everyday speech, but it can sound a bit more colloquial, and some speakers prefer mennesker in more neutral or careful language.

So for a learner, mange mennesker is a very safe choice.

Yes. If the subordinate clause comes first, the main clause must still follow Danish verb-second word order.

Original:

Der er plads nok på fortovet, selv når mange mennesker kommer fra metroen.

Fronted version:

Selv når mange mennesker kommer fra metroen, er der plads nok på fortovet.

Notice the main clause becomes:

er der plads nok ...

not:

der er plads nok ...

That is a classic Danish word-order point: when something else comes first, the finite verb must come before the subject in the main clause.