Begge børn vil have mere juice, men de får færre småkager før aftensmad.

Begge means both, and in Danish it can directly modify a noun:

• begge børn = both children

You do not say de begge børn in normal Danish.

Compare:

• Begge børn vil have mere juice. = Both children want more juice.
• De begge vil have mere juice. = The two of them want more juice.

So begge can be used:

• before a noun: begge børn
• as a pronoun: begge / de begge

In this sentence, begge børn is the natural way to say both children.

Barn means child, and its plural is irregular:

• et barn = a child
• børn = children

So Danish does not form this plural with -er. You simply have to learn it as an irregular noun, much like English child → children.

In this sentence, vil have means want.

• vil = want / will
• have = have

But together, vil have is a very common expression meaning want:

• Jeg vil have kaffe. = I want coffee.
• Begge børn vil have mere juice. = Both children want more juice.

So although vil often corresponds to English will, in this structure it is usually better understood as want.

Use mere for more with things that are treated as uncountable or as a general substance.

• mere juice = more juice
• mere vand = more water
• mere tid = more time

Use flere for more with countable plural nouns:

• flere småkager = more cookies
• flere børn = more children
• flere bøger = more books

So:

• juice is treated as uncountable → mere juice
• småkager is a plural count noun → færre småkager

This is the same countable/uncountable distinction.

• færre = fewer, used with countable plural nouns
• mindre = less, used with uncountable nouns or quantities

So:

• færre småkager = fewer cookies
• mindre juice = less juice

Because småkager are individual countable items, færre is the correct word.

A useful way to remember it:

For uncountable things

• mere = more
• mindre = less

Examples:

• mere juice = more juice
• mindre mælk = less milk

For countable plural things

• flere = more
• færre = fewer

Examples:

• flere småkager = more cookies
• færre småkager = fewer cookies

So the sentence contrasts:

• mere juice → uncountable
• færre småkager → countable plural

Yes. Here de means they.

• de får = they get / they are given

In the sentence, de refers back to begge børn.

So the structure is:

• Begge børn ... = Both children ...
• men de får ... = but they get ...

This is very natural Danish, just like English uses a plural pronoun to refer back to both children.

Får is the present tense of få, and it often means:

• get
• receive
• sometimes be allowed / be given, depending on context

In this sentence, de får færre småkager most naturally means:

• they get fewer cookies
• or they are given fewer cookies

So it suggests that someone gives them fewer cookies before dinner.

Danish main clauses usually follow the V2 rule, meaning the finite verb is in the second position.

In this sentence:

• Begge børn | vil | have mere juice
• men de | får | færre småkager før aftensmad

The finite verbs are:

• vil
• får

They come early in the clause, in the typical Danish main-clause pattern.

This is similar to standard English word order in simple sentences, but the V2 rule becomes especially noticeable when another element is placed first.

Småkager means cookies or biscuits (depending on the variety of English), while kager means cakes.

So:

• en småkage = a cookie
• småkager = cookies
• en kage = a cake
• kager = cakes

If the intended meaning is cookies, then småkager is the correct word.

Før aftensmad means before dinner or before the evening meal.

Breakdown:

• før = before
• aftensmad = dinner / evening meal

So:

• før aftensmad = before dinner

It describes when they get fewer cookies.

In Danish, meals often appear without an article when speaking generally.

For example:

• før aftensmad = before dinner
• efter frokost = after lunch
• til morgenmad = for breakfast

This is similar to English, where we also often say:

• before dinner
• after lunch

without the.

If you added an article, it would usually sound more specific and less natural in a general statement.

Yes. Juice is commonly used in Danish and means juice.

It is a loanword and is very normal in everyday language. You may also hear related expressions like:

• appelsinjuice = orange juice
• æblejuice = apple juice

So mere juice is completely natural Danish.

Yes, depending on tone and context.

Vil have often literally corresponds to want, but in natural English translation it can sometimes be softened as:

• want more juice
• would like more juice

If you are translating very directly, want is the clearest match. If you are translating more naturally in a polite or gentle context, would like may fit better.

Yes. Begge børn refers to two children, so it is grammatically plural.

That is why the sentence continues with plural meaning:

• Begge børn vil ...
• de får ...

In Danish present tense, verbs do not change form for singular and plural, so you do not see a special plural ending on the verb. But the meaning is clearly plural.

Yes, that is a very helpful way to understand it.

The sentence contrasts:

• mere juice = a larger amount of an uncountable thing
• færre småkager = a smaller number of countable items

So it is a good example of how Danish, like careful English, distinguishes between:

• amount words for substances or mass nouns
• number words for countable plural nouns

That is one of the main grammar points illustrated by this sentence.