Jeg rydder bordet efter maden, så vi kan drikke kaffe.

In this sentence, rydder bordet means clear the table after eating: removing plates, glasses, cutlery, and so on.

The verb rydde can mean clear, tidy, or put away, depending on context. With bordet, it specifically means clear the table.

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

• et bord = a table
• bordet = the table

Bord is a neuter noun, so the definite ending is -et. Here it is a specific table, so bordet is the natural form.

Mad means food, but maden means the food or, in many everyday contexts, the meal.

In efter maden, Danish normally uses the definite form to mean after the meal / after eating. This is very natural Danish.

• efter mad would sound odd here
• efter maden is the normal phrase

Efter means after.

Here it is followed by a noun phrase:

• efter maden = after the meal

If you wanted to say after we have eaten, you would need a clause instead:

• efter at vi har spist

So efter can be followed either by a noun phrase or, with at, by a full clause.

Here så means so or so that.

It connects the two parts of the sentence:

• first: Jeg rydder bordet efter maden
• then the purpose/result: så vi kan drikke kaffe

So the idea is: I clear the table after the meal, so that we can drink coffee.

Because kan means can / are able to.

So:

• vi kan drikke kaffe = we can drink coffee

This expresses possibility or the next step after clearing the table.

If you said vi drikker kaffe, that would simply mean we drink / are drinking coffee, without the same idea of being able to or being ready to.

Because after a modal verb like kan, Danish uses the bare infinitive.

So you say:

• kan drikke
• vil spise
• skal gå
• må vente

Not:

• kan at drikke

This is similar to English:

• can drink
• not can to drink

Because kaffe is an uncountable or mass noun here, just like coffee in English.

So:

• drikke kaffe = drink coffee

You do not need en here.

If you were talking about one coffee in a café, Danish can use en kaffe, but in this sentence the general activity is meant, so kaffe without an article is correct.

Yes.

The clause begins with the subject vi, so the normal order is:

• vi = subject
• kan = finite verb
• drikke kaffe = infinitive + object

So vi kan drikke kaffe is perfectly normal Danish word order.

Yes.

Danish present tense often covers both:

• a present action
• a near-future action

So Jeg rydder bordet efter maden can mean:

• I clear the table after the meal
• I’m clearing the table after the meal
• I’ll clear the table after the meal

The context tells you which one is meant.

Yes, but it means something slightly different.

• Jeg rydder bordet = I clear the table
• Jeg rydder op efter maden = I tidy up after the meal

The second version is broader. It could include clearing the table, washing up, putting things away, and cleaning the kitchen area.

The comma separates the two clauses:

• Jeg rydder bordet efter maden
• så vi kan drikke kaffe

It helps show that the second part gives the purpose or result of the first part. In written Danish, this kind of comma is very normal.

Yes, for many English speakers.

The tricky parts are:

• y in rydder is not like English y
• the d is soft in Danish
• the ending -er is weak and unstressed

A rough learner-friendly approximation is something like RYTH-er, but with a very soft th-like sound in the middle. It will not sound exactly like English, but that is a useful starting point.