Hvis netværket holder op med at virke, må jeg genstarte computeren med det samme.

Because Danish uses V2 word order in main clauses: the finite verb normally comes in the second position.

In this sentence, the first element is the whole subordinate clause:

Hvis netværket holder op med at virke

So in the main clause that follows, the verb must come next:

• må jeg genstarte computeren med det samme

That is why you get må jeg, not jeg må.

Compare:

• Jeg må genstarte computeren med det samme.
• Hvis netværket holder op med at virke, må jeg genstarte computeren med det samme.

This is very common in Danish and often feels unusual to English speakers.

Hvis means if and introduces a conditional clause.

So:

• Hvis netværket holder op med at virke = If the network stops working

It works much like English if. Danish uses hvis for ordinary conditions, and it is one of the most common subordinating conjunctions.

Danish often uses the expression holde op med at + infinitive to mean stop doing something.

Here:

• holder op = stops / ceases
• med at virke = working / functioning

So:

• holder op med at virke = stops working

This is a very natural Danish structure.

You can use it with many verbs:

• Han holder op med at ryge. = He stops smoking.
• Maskinen holder op med at virke. = The machine stops working.

English speakers often want a single verb, but Danish frequently prefers this longer structure.

Because the two verbs are in different structures.

1. holde op med at virke

After med, Danish uses at + infinitive here:

• holde op med at virke

2. må genstarte

After a modal verb like må, Danish uses the infinitive without at:

• må genstarte
• kan genstarte
• skal genstarte
• vil genstarte

So:

• må jeg genstarte = correct
• må jeg at genstarte = incorrect

This is very similar to English:

• I must restart not
• I must to restart

It can be a little tricky, because må can mean either:

• must / have to
• may / be allowed to

In this sentence, the most likely meaning is must / have to, because of the situation: if the network stops working, restarting the computer is necessary.

So here må jeg genstarte computeren is most naturally understood as:

• I have to restart the computer

However, in other contexts må can mean permission:

• Må jeg gå nu? = May I leave now?

So the exact meaning depends on context.

Because they are in the definite form: the network, the computer.

In Danish, the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun.

netværk → netværket

• et netværk = a network
• netværket = the network

computer → computeren

• en computer = a computer
• computeren = the computer

This is one of the biggest structural differences from English. Instead of putting the before the noun, Danish often attaches the definiteness to the noun itself.

Holder is the present tense form of holde.

The basic verb is:

• at holde = to hold / to keep / to stop, depending on context

In the sentence, the subject is netværket, so Danish uses the present tense:

• netværket holder op = the network stops / is stopping

Danish present tense is often made by adding -r to the infinitive:

• at virke → virker
• at holde → holder
• at genstarte → genstarter

Yes. Virke often means to function / to work about machines, systems, devices, software, and similar things.

So:

• Netværket virker ikke. = The network isn’t working.
• Computeren virker igen. = The computer works again.

For English speakers, it helps to think of virke as function rather than work in the job/labor sense.

Genstarte means restart. It is built from:

• starte = start
• gen- = re-, again

So genstarte is a single verb meaning restart.

Danish can sometimes use starte igen, but for computers and devices, genstarte is especially natural and common.

Examples:

• Jeg skal genstarte computeren. = I need to restart the computer.
• Prøv at genstarte routeren. = Try restarting the router.

Med det samme is an idiomatic expression meaning:

• immediately
• right away
• at once

Literally, it looks like with the same, but you should learn it as a fixed phrase.

Examples:

• Kom her med det samme! = Come here immediately!
• Jeg gør det med det samme. = I’ll do it right away.

So in your sentence it means the restart should happen without delay.

Yes, in many contexts you could.

Both can mean stops working:

• netværket holder op med at virke
• netværket stopper med at virke

However, holde op med at is often a very natural way to say stop doing something, and many speakers may prefer it here.

A small nuance:

• holde op med at virke often sounds like ceases to function
• stopper med at virke is understandable too, but may sound slightly less idiomatic to some speakers in this exact context

So the original sentence is a very good standard choice.

Yes. If the main clause comes first, you get normal main-clause order:

• Jeg må genstarte computeren med det samme, hvis netværket holder op med at virke.

If the hvis-clause comes first, then the main clause shows inversion:

• Hvis netværket holder op med at virke, må jeg genstarte computeren med det samme.

So the position of the subordinate clause affects the word order of the main clause that follows.

The sentence is perfectly natural and neutral. It does not sound overly formal.

A speaker might also say something slightly shorter in conversation, for example:

• Hvis netværket går ned, må jeg genstarte computeren med det samme.

Here går ned is a common everyday way to say that a network, system, or computer goes down.

But your original sentence is completely correct, clear, and natural. It sounds like standard written and spoken Danish.

You can divide it like this:

Subordinate clause

Hvis netværket holder op med at virke

• Hvis = if
• netværket = the network
• holder op med at virke = stops working

Main clause

må jeg genstarte computeren med det samme

• må = must / have to
• jeg = I
• genstarte = restart
• computeren = the computer
• med det samme = immediately

This kind of breakdown is useful because Danish word order becomes much easier once you can see where the subordinate clause ends and the main clause begins.