Jeg skriver små noter under forelæsningen.

Danish usually uses the simple present for both:

• I write
• I am writing

So Jeg skriver små noter under forelæsningen can naturally mean I am writing small notes during the lecture.

If you really want to stress that the action is in progress right now, Danish can use a longer expression such as jeg er ved at skrive, but in ordinary sentences skriver is completely normal.

In Danish, indefinite plural nouns usually have no article.

So:

• en note = a note
• noter = notes / some notes

That means små noter is perfectly normal for small notes or some small notes.

If the notes were specific, you would use the definite form:

• noterne = the notes

Because noter is plural, and the adjective has to match that.

For this adjective, Danish uses:

• en lille note = a small note
• små noter = small notes

So små is the correct plural form here. This is a very common pattern and worth memorizing because lille/små is a bit irregular.

Here under means during, not physically underneath.

Danish under can mean:

• under the table = physically below something
• under forelæsningen = during the lecture

With events and time periods, under is often the natural way to say during.

Because forelæsningen is the definite singular form, meaning the lecture.

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

• en forelæsning = a lecture
• forelæsningen = the lecture

So in this sentence, it refers to a specific lecture, probably the one currently happening.

Because Danish often puts the definite article on the noun itself instead of using a separate word.

Compare:

• English: the lecture
• Danish: forelæsning-en

That -en ending is doing the job of the.

This is very common in Danish:

• bogen = the book
• stolen = the chair
• forelæsningen = the lecture

Yes, absolutely.

That version is also correct, and it shows a very important Danish rule: in a main clause, the finite verb usually stays in second position.

So:

• Jeg skriver små noter under forelæsningen.
• Under forelæsningen skriver jeg små noter.

When Under forelæsningen is moved to the front, the verb skriver still has to come second, so jeg moves after the verb.

This is the classic V2 word order of Danish.

Yes, skriver små noter is natural.

But Danish also very commonly uses:

• tage noter = to take notes

So both are possible:

• Jeg skriver små noter under forelæsningen.
• Jeg tager noter under forelæsningen.

There is a slight difference in feel:

• skrive noter emphasizes the actual writing
• tage noter is the usual general expression for taking notes

Also, små noter suggests brief, short, or little notes.

Because the sentence treats them differently:

• forelæsningen = a specific, identifiable lecture → definite
• små noter = nonspecific notes in general → indefinite plural

So the grammar matches the meaning:

• the lecture is a particular event
• small notes are just some notes, not specific ones already known to the listener

This is very natural in both Danish and English.

No. noter can mean different things depending on context, including:

• written notes
• musical notes
• sometimes grades/marks

But in this sentence, because of skriver and under forelæsningen, the meaning is clearly written notes.

It is a common-gender noun (an en-word).

Its basic forms are:

• en forelæsning = a lecture
• forelæsningen = the lecture
• forelæsninger = lectures
• forelæsningerne = the lectures

Knowing whether a noun is an en-word or an et-word is important in Danish, because it affects articles and adjective forms.