Før gæsterne kommer, skal jeg rydde køkkenet og tømme skraldespanden.

In Danish, just like in English, the present tense is often used after time words such as før when you are talking about the future.

So Danish says:

• Før gæsterne kommer = Before the guests come

Not:

• Før gæsterne vil komme or anything similar

This is very natural in Danish. The future idea is already clear because of før and the context.

Because the sentence begins with the time clause Før gæsterne kommer.

In a Danish main clause, the finite verb normally comes in second position. When something other than the subject comes first, the subject moves after the verb.

So:

• Jeg skal rydde køkkenet = normal order
• Før gæsterne kommer, skal jeg rydde køkkenet = the time clause comes first, so you get skal jeg

This is a very important Danish word-order rule.

Because Før gæsterne kommer is a subordinate clause.

In Danish subordinate clauses, the subject usually comes before the finite verb:

• før gæsterne kommer
• når han går
• fordi jeg arbejder

By contrast, main clauses often follow the verb-second rule:

• Nu kommer gæsterne
• I dag skal jeg arbejde

So the two parts of the sentence follow two different word-order patterns:

• Subordinate clause: gæsterne kommer
• Main clause: skal jeg

Here skal means something like:

• must
• have to
• need to
• sometimes am supposed to

So skal jeg rydde køkkenet means that the speaker has an obligation or necessary task to do.

It is not just a simple future marker like English will. Danish skal often suggests duty, plan, or necessity.

Compare:

• Jeg skal rydde køkkenet = I have to / I’m supposed to tidy the kitchen
• Jeg vil rydde køkkenet = I want to tidy the kitchen
• Jeg rydder køkkenet = I tidy / I am tidying / I will tidy, depending on context

After a modal verb like skal, Danish normally uses the bare infinitive.

So you get:

• skal rydde
• skal tømme

not:

• skal at rydde
• skal at tømme

The second verb tømme is also in the infinitive because it is coordinated with rydde by og:

• skal jeg rydde køkkenet og tømme skraldespanden

Both actions belong to skal.

Because Danish often puts the at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word before it.

In this sentence:

• gæsterne = the guests
• køkkenet = the kitchen
• skraldespanden = the trash can / the bin

Here is the pattern:

• en gæst = a guest
• gæster = guests

• gæsterne = the guests

• et køkken = a kitchen

• køkkenet = the kitchen

• en skraldespand = a trash can / bin
• skraldespanden = the trash can / bin

So Danish definite forms are often made with endings like -en, -et, and -ne.

Because Danish nouns have grammatical gender.

There are two main genders:

• common gender: takes en in the indefinite singular
• neuter: takes et in the indefinite singular

So:

• et køkken → køkkenet
• en skraldespand → skraldespanden

That means:

• køkken is neuter
• skraldespand is common gender

This is something you usually have to learn with each noun.

Not exactly. Rydde usually means tidy up, clear away, or put things in order.

So rydde køkkenet suggests things like:

• putting things away
• clearing surfaces
• making the kitchen look orderly

If you specifically mean clean in the sense of washing or scrubbing, Danish often uses:

• gøre rent i køkkenet = clean the kitchen

So rydde is more about tidying, while gøre rent is more about cleaning.

Yes. Danish very often writes compound nouns as one word.

So skraldespanden is built like this:

• skrald = trash
• spand = bucket / bin
• skraldespand = trash can / bin
• skraldespanden = the trash can / bin

English often uses separate words, but Danish usually combines them into one noun.

This is extremely common in Danish.

Yes, absolutely.

You can say:

• Jeg skal rydde køkkenet og tømme skraldespanden, før gæsterne kommer.

That is also correct and very natural.

When the sentence starts with jeg, the main clause keeps the normal order:

• Jeg skal ...

When the time clause comes first, the main clause changes to:

• skal jeg ...

So both are correct:

• Før gæsterne kommer, skal jeg ...
• Jeg skal ..., før gæsterne kommer

Because the opening part Før gæsterne kommer is a clause, and the comma marks the boundary before the main clause begins.

So the structure is:

• Før gæsterne kommer, = subordinate clause
• skal jeg rydde køkkenet og tømme skraldespanden. = main clause

This kind of comma is very common when a subordinate clause comes first. It helps show where the first clause ends and the main sentence begins.