Hvis vi tager metroen, kan vi nå frem til museet før klokken otte.

If we take the metro, we can get to the museum before eight o’clock.

Breakdown of Hvis vi tager metroen, kan vi nå frem til museet før klokken otte.

• til: to
• vi: we
• tage: to take
• hvis: if

Questions & Answers about Hvis vi tager metroen, kan vi nå frem til museet før klokken otte.

Why is tager in the present tense when the sentence talks about the future?

In Danish, the present tense is very often used for future meaning when the context already makes the time clear.

So Hvis vi tager metroen literally looks like If we take the metro, but it naturally means If we take the metro / If we take the metro later.

Danish does have ways to make the future more explicit, such as using vil, but in sentences like this, the present tense is the normal and natural choice.

Examples:

• Hvis jeg går nu, kommer jeg til tiden. = If I leave now, I’ll be on time.
• Vi ses i morgen. = See you tomorrow / We’ll see each other tomorrow.

Why is it metroen and not just metro?

Metroen is the definite form of metro, meaning the metro.

In Danish, the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun:

• en metro = a metro
• metroen = the metro

Here, tage metroen means take the metro. This is the natural way to talk about using that transport system in this sentence.

A learner may wonder whether Danish would say something more like by metro. That does exist in some contexts, for example med metro, but tage metroen is a very common everyday way to say take the metro.

Why is it kan vi and not vi kan after the comma?