Kan du hælde lidt mere vand i glasset?

Kan du literally means can you.

In Danish, yes/no questions are usually formed by putting the finite verb first, just like in English:

• Du kan hælde vand i glasset. = You can pour water into the glass.
• Kan du hælde vand i glasset? = Can you pour water into the glass?

So the word order is normal for a question.

It can be both, but in everyday speech it is very often used as a polite request, just like English Can you ...?

So:

• Kan du hælde lidt mere vand i glasset?

usually means something like:

• Could you pour a little more water into the glass?

It does not normally sound strange or overly literal. If you want to sound a bit softer or more polite, Danish can also use:

• Vil du hælde lidt mere vand i glasset?
• Kunne du hælde lidt mere vand i glasset?

Hælde means to pour.

It is used when liquid moves by being tipped from one container into another place or container.

Examples:

• hælde vand i glasset = pour water into the glass
• hælde kaffe op = pour coffee
• hælde mælk i teen = pour milk into the tea

So hælde is the natural verb here because we are talking about water.

Lidt mere means a little more.

• lidt = a little
• mere = more

So the phrase makes the request more specific and softer:

• Kan du hælde mere vand i glasset? = Can you pour more water into the glass?
• Kan du hælde lidt mere vand i glasset? = Can you pour a little more water into the glass?

Using lidt often makes a request sound gentler and more natural.

Because vand is being used as an uncountable noun, like water in English.

You normally do not say:

• a water when you mean the substance in general

Likewise in Danish:

• vand = water

So:

• lidt mere vand = a little more water

No article is needed.

Here it means into the glass, even though the Danish wording literally uses i, which often corresponds to in.

Danish often uses i where English would prefer into, especially with verbs of movement like hælde.

So:

• hælde vand i glasset = pour water into the glass

This is completely normal Danish. English makes a stronger distinction between in and into than Danish often does in this kind of sentence.

Glasset is the definite form and means the glass.

Danish often adds the definite article to the end of the noun:

• et glas = a glass
• glasset = the glass

So:

• i glasset = in/into the glass

If you said i et glas, that would mean into a glass, which is less specific.

Because glas is a neuter noun, so its indefinite article is et:

• et glas = a glass

For many neuter nouns, the definite singular ending is -et:

• et hus → huset
• et bord → bordet
• et glas → glasset

So glasset follows a common Danish pattern.

In Danish, the definite article is usually attached to the noun as an ending instead of appearing as a separate word.

Compare:

• English: the glass
• Danish: glasset

This is one of the big structural differences between English and Danish.

Danish does also use separate definite words like den, det, and de, but that usually happens in other constructions, especially when an adjective is present:

• glasset = the glass
• det store glas = the big glass

Yes, many Danes would say that, and it sounds natural.

The little particle op is often used with pouring drinks:

• hælde vand i glasset
• hælde vand op i glasset

Both can work. Adding op can make the action sound a bit more idiomatic in some contexts, especially when serving a drink.

But the original sentence without op is still correct and natural.

It is polite and completely normal in everyday Danish.

• Kan du hælde lidt mere vand i glasset?

sounds like a friendly request.

If you want to make it even softer, you could say:

• Kan du ikke hælde lidt mere vand i glasset?
• Kunne du hælde lidt mere vand i glasset?
• Vil du være sød at hælde lidt mere vand i glasset?

But the original sentence is already perfectly acceptable and polite in most situations.

A rough guide is that hælde sounds something like HEL-də, but with a Danish vowel that does not match English exactly.

A few helpful points:

• æ is a front vowel, somewhat like the vowel in bed, but not identical
• the d in -de is often soft in Danish speech
• the ending -e is usually a weak schwa-like sound

So do not expect a strong English-style d sound.

Not really. Danish pronunciation is often less phonetic than learners expect.

Lidt is often pronounced roughly like lid or lit, depending on the speaker and context, but the written dt does not sound like a full clear d+t sequence in English.

This is very common in Danish: spelling and pronunciation do not always match closely.

Yes, depending on context, that is a natural English interpretation.

Literally, the Danish sentence is about pouring a little more water into the glass, but in real life the idea may be:

• adding more water to the glass
• topping up the glass
• filling it a bit more

So the exact English wording may vary, even though the Danish sentence stays the same.

A useful breakdown is:

• Kan = can
• du = you
• hælde = pour
• lidt mere = a little more
• vand = water
• i glasset = into the glass / in the glass

So the structure is:

• question verb
  • subject
    • infinitive
      • object phrase
        • prepositional phrase

That is:

• Kan
  • du
    • hælde
      • lidt mere vand
        • i glasset?

This is a very useful pattern to recognize in Danish.