Questions & Answers about Vi venter ti minutter på stationen.
Why is venter used here? What tense is it?
Venter is the present tense of at vente (to wait).
In Danish, the present tense often covers several English ideas:
- we wait
- we are waiting
- sometimes even we will wait, if the context makes it future
So Danish does not usually need a separate form like English are waiting.
Why is there no word for English for before ti minutter?
That is very normal in Danish.
English says:
- We wait for ten minutes
But Danish often says simply:
- Vi venter ti minutter
A time duration can come directly after the verb, without a separate word like for.
So:
- ti minutter = ten minutes
- together with venter, it means wait for ten minutes
Does ti minutter mean a duration, or could it mean a clock time?