Vi har få minutter, før mødet begynder.

Breakdown of Vi har få minutter, før mødet begynder.

vi
we
have
to have
før
before
mødet
the meeting
begynde
to begin
minuttet
the minute
few

Questions & Answers about Vi har få minutter, før mødet begynder.

What does mean here, and is it the same as the verb meaning to get?

No. In this sentence, means few / a small number of:

  • Vi har få minutter = We have few minutes

This is not the verb at få (to get / receive). Danish has two different words spelled the same way:

  • = few
  • at få = to get

You can tell which one it is from the sentence structure. Here, comes before a plural noun (minutter), so it is an adjective/quantifier meaning few.


Why is it få minutter and not something like få minutter with a different ending on ?

Because does not change form here. It stays before plural countable nouns:

  • få minutter = few minutes
  • få mennesker = few people
  • få spørgsmål = few questions

Unlike many Danish adjectives, is already the correct form here and does not take extra endings in this use.


Why is there no article before minutter?

Because already works like a determiner/quantifier, similar to few in English.

So Danish says:

  • få minutter = few minutes

not:

  • de få minutter unless you mean the few minutes
  • nogle få minutter if you want a few minutes

This is very similar to English. You also would not normally say we have the few minutes.


What is the difference between få minutter and nogle få minutter?

This is a very useful distinction.

  • få minutter = few minutes
    This often emphasizes that the number is small, possibly not enough.

  • nogle få minutter = a few minutes
    This is often a bit more neutral and can sound slightly less negative.

So:

  • Vi har få minutter = We have few minutes / We only have a few minutes
  • Vi har nogle få minutter = We have a few minutes

In real usage, Danish speakers often use context and tone, and få minutter can naturally be translated as a few minutes in many situations.


Why is it mødet and not møde?

Because mødet is the definite form of møde:

  • et møde = a meeting
  • mødet = the meeting

Danish often adds the definite article as an ending on the noun instead of using a separate word:

  • bogen = the book
  • huset = the house
  • mødet = the meeting

So før mødet begynder means before the meeting begins.


Why does møde become mødet with -et?

Because møde is a neuter noun (et-word):

  • et møde = a meeting

For many neuter nouns, the singular definite form is made by adding -et:

  • et hushuset
  • et brevbrevet
  • et mødemødet

So mødet literally means the meeting.


What does før do in this sentence?

Før means before.

It introduces the time clause:

  • før mødet begynder = before the meeting begins

So the whole sentence is:

  • Vi har få minutter, før mødet begynder.
  • We have a few minutes before the meeting begins.

Here før works like a conjunction introducing a subordinate clause.


Why is the word order før mødet begynder and not something with the verb earlier?

Because in this subordinate clause, the subject comes before the verb:

  • mødet = subject
  • begynder = verb

So:

  • før mødet begynder = before the meeting begins

This is normal Danish word order in a subordinate clause when there is no adverb such as ikke to show the difference more clearly.

Compare:

  • Mødet begynder nu. = The meeting begins now.
  • før mødet begynder = before the meeting begins

If you added ikke, the subordinate-clause pattern would become clearer:

  • før mødet ikke begynder would place ikke before the finite verb, though this particular sentence would sound odd in meaning.

What tense is har and begynder, and why are both in the present?

Both are in the present tense:

  • har = have
  • begynder = begins / is beginning

Danish often uses the present tense for things happening now or very soon in the future:

  • Vi har få minutter = We have a few minutes
  • mødet begynder = the meeting begins / is about to begin

English does something similar. We often say:

  • The meeting begins in five minutes
  • The meeting is starting soon

So the present tense is perfectly natural here.


How is begynder formed?

It is the present tense of at begynde (to begin).

The forms are:

  • at begynde = to begin
  • begynder = begin / begins
  • begyndte = began
  • begyndt = begun / begun-started depending on context

Many Danish verbs form the present tense with -r:

  • at kommekommer
  • at venteventer
  • at begyndebegynder

So mødet begynder simply means the meeting begins.


Is Vi har få minutter something Danes actually say, or would they say it differently?

Yes, it is natural Danish. It means that time is short.

You may also hear:

  • Vi har kun få minutter. = We only have a few minutes.
  • Vi har nogle få minutter. = We have a few minutes.
  • Der er få minutter tilbage. = There are few minutes left.

The original sentence is completely normal and idiomatic.


How would this sentence be pronounced approximately?

A rough English-friendly approximation is:

  • Vi har få minutter, før mødet begynder
  • vee har fo MIN-oo-ter, fur MUR-theth beh-GUHN-er

A few notes:

  • vi sounds like vee
  • has a vowel somewhat like foh
  • minutter is stressed on the middle syllable: mi-NUT-ter
  • før has a vowel that does not exist exactly in English; fur is only an approximation
  • mødet contains the Danish ø, again not an exact English sound
  • begynder has stress near the second syllable

If you want to sound more natural, the hardest parts are usually før, mødet, and begynder because of the Danish vowels.


Could I also say inden mødet begynder instead of før mødet begynder?

Yes, often you can.

  • før mødet begynder = before the meeting begins
  • inden mødet begynder = before the meeting begins

Both are common. In many situations they are interchangeable. Før is very common and straightforward, and it fits perfectly in this sentence.


Why is there a comma before før?

Because før mødet begynder is a subordinate clause.

Traditional Danish comma rules often place a comma before subordinate clauses:

  • Vi har få minutter, før mødet begynder.

You may also encounter different comma practices depending on style and teaching tradition, but the comma here is very standard and helpful for learners because it clearly separates:

  • main clause: Vi har få minutter
  • subordinate clause: før mødet begynder
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