Hvilken dato passer Dem bedst, hvis vi skal bestille bord på restauranten?

Hvilken dato means which date.

• hvilken = which (used with a common-gender singular noun)
• dato = date

So the sentence opens by asking the listener to choose a date. A native English speaker might expect something like Hvad dato..., but Danish uses hvilken dato here, not hvad.

Because dato is a common-gender singular noun in Danish.

Danish question words for which change depending on gender and number:

• hvilken = for singular common-gender nouns
• hvilket = for singular neuter nouns
• hvilke = for plural nouns

Since dato is common gender and singular, hvilken dato is the correct form.

Here, passer means suits or works for.

So Hvilken dato passer Dem bedst? literally means: Which date suits you best?

This is a very common use of passe in Danish when talking about times, dates, or arrangements:

• Det passer mig fint = That suits me fine
• Hvornår passer det dig? = When does it suit you?

So this is not about clothing size or physical fit here; it is about convenience.

Dem is the formal object form of you in Danish.

It corresponds to the formal pronoun pair:

• De = formal you as subject
• Dem = formal you as object

In this sentence, Dem is the person being suited by the date, so the object form is used.

The capitalization is traditional and marks politeness/formality. In modern Danish, especially in everyday use, people often avoid De/Dem altogether and use du/dig instead. But in very polite, old-fashioned, or especially respectful language, De/Dem can still appear.

An informal version would be:

Hvilken dato passer dig bedst, hvis vi skal bestille bord på restauranten?

Danish main clauses usually follow the V2 rule, which means the finite verb comes second.

In this sentence, Hvilken dato is placed first. That means the verb passer must come next:

• Hvilken dato = first element
• passer = verb in second position
• Dem = object
• bedst = adverb

So Danish says:

Hvilken dato passer Dem bedst?

not something like:

• Hvilken dato Dem passer bedst ❌

This is one of the most important word-order patterns in Danish.

bedst means best.

It is the superlative form of godt in this kind of adverbial use:

• godt = well
• bedre = better
• bedst = best

So passer Dem bedst means suits you best or works best for you.

It asks the listener to compare possible dates and choose the most convenient one.

Yes, hvis normally means if.

So hvis vi skal bestille bord på restauranten literally means:

if we are going to book a table at the restaurant

In natural English, depending on context, you might also understand it as:

• if we need to book a table
• if we're going to reserve a table

The word skal often expresses:

• intention
• plan
• necessity
• something expected to happen

So here it suggests a practical condition: if we are going to make the reservation, which date suits you best?

Because bestille bord is an idiomatic Danish expression meaning to book a table.

Danish often leaves out the article in fixed expressions like this. So:

• bestille bord = book a table / make a reservation

You may also hear bestille et bord, and that is not wrong, but bestille bord is very common and natural when speaking generally about making a restaurant reservation.

So the sentence is using a normal set phrase.

In Danish, på is often used with places viewed as venues, institutions, or destinations, including restaurants.

So:

• på restauranten = at the restaurant

This is the most idiomatic choice here when talking about booking a table there.

By contrast, i restauranten would focus more on being physically inside the restaurant building or room.

So in this sentence, på restauranten is the natural expression for at the restaurant in the sense of the place where the reservation will be made.

Restauranten is the definite form, meaning the restaurant.

Danish usually adds definiteness to the end of the noun:

• en restaurant = a restaurant
• restauranten = the restaurant

So på restauranten means at the restaurant.

This suggests that the speaker and listener probably both know which restaurant is being talked about.

A more everyday version would usually replace formal Dem with dig:

Hvilken dato passer dig bedst, hvis vi skal bestille bord på restauranten?

That is the version most Danes would use in normal conversation.

If you wanted an even slightly more conversational version, you might also hear:

Hvilken dato passer dig bedst, hvis vi skal bestille et bord på restauranten?

Both are natural, but the original sentence sounds more formal because of Dem.