Breakdown of Hun tager sådan nogle solbriller på, når solen er stærk.
Questions & Answers about Hun tager sådan nogle solbriller på, når solen er stærk.
Why is på separated from tager?
Because tage ... på is a very common Danish verb-particle combination meaning to put on or, in some contexts, to wear.
In a main clause, Danish often splits these up:
- Hun tager solbriller på.
But in the infinitive, they stay together:
- at tage solbriller på
So this works a lot like a separable phrasal verb.
What does sådan nogle mean here?
Sådan nogle is a conversational way to mean something like:
- some ... like that
- that kind of ...
- those sort of ...
So sådan nogle solbriller suggests a type of sunglasses rather than identifying a specific pair.
It adds an informal, slightly vague tone. The sentence would still work without it:
- Hun tager solbriller på, når solen er stærk.
That version is simpler and more neutral.
Why is solbriller plural?
In Danish, solbriller is normally plural, just like sunglasses in English.
So even one pair is usually expressed with a plural noun:
- solbriller = sunglasses
- et par solbriller = a pair of sunglasses
That is completely normal Danish usage.
Why does the sentence use når instead of hvis?
Because når is used for something that happens whenever or when a situation occurs regularly.
Here the meaning is general or habitual:
- Hun tager ... på, når solen er stærk.
- She does this whenever the sun is strong.
Hvis would sound more like a condition:
- Hvis solen er stærk ... = if the sun is strong ...
So når is the better choice when talking about a repeated habit.
Why is the word order når solen er stærk and not når er solen stærk?
Because når solen er stærk is a subordinate clause, and Danish subordinate clauses do not use the normal main-clause verb-second pattern.
In a main clause, you get:
- Solen er stærk.
But after a subordinating word like når, the order is simply:
- når + subject + verb
- når solen er stærk
So this is standard subordinate-clause word order.
Why does Danish say solen er stærk? It sounds like the sun is strong.
That is a natural Danish way to express the idea that the sun is intense, powerful, or bright.
So solen er stærk means something like:
- the sun is strong
- the sun is intense
- it is very sunny / the sunlight is strong
It may sound a little different from the most common English phrasing, but in Danish it is idiomatic and normal.
Does tager ... på mean puts on or is wearing?
Literally, tage ... på means put on.
So:
- Hun tager solbriller på = She puts on sunglasses.
However, with a general statement like this, English may sometimes translate it more naturally as wears:
- She wears sunglasses when the sun is strong.
If you specifically want to say that she already has them on, Danish usually uses:
- Hun har solbriller på. = She is wearing sunglasses.
So:
- tage ... på = put on
- have ... på = have on / be wearing
Is sådan nogle necessary?
No, not at all.
The sentence without it is perfectly correct:
- Hun tager solbriller på, når solen er stærk.
Adding sådan nogle makes it more casual and slightly more descriptive, as if the speaker is pointing to a kind of sunglasses or talking loosely about that sort of thing.
So it is a nuance choice, not a grammar requirement.
Why is it stærk and not stærkt?
Because stærk is agreeing with solen, and sol is a common-gender noun in Danish.
With predicative adjectives after er, Danish still shows agreement:
- common gender singular: stærk
- neuter singular: stærkt
- plural: stærke
So:
- solen er stærk = the sun is strong
- lyset er stærkt = the light is strong
- strålerne er stærke = the rays are strong
That is why stærk is correct here.
Can the sentence start with the når clause instead?
Yes:
- Når solen er stærk, tager hun sådan nogle solbriller på.
That is completely correct.
The important thing is that in the main clause after the fronted når clause, Danish uses inversion:
- tager hun
- not hun tager
So:
- Hun tager ... på, når solen er stærk.
- Når solen er stærk, tager hun ... på.
Both are good; they just differ in emphasis.
Is the present tense here talking about now, or about a habit?
It is talking about a habit or usual behavior.
Danish present tense often covers both:
- what is happening now
- what usually happens
- scheduled or general facts
Here, because of når solen er stærk, the meaning is clearly habitual:
- whenever the sun is strong, she puts on sunglasses
So it is not necessarily describing one specific moment.
Could you also say et par solbriller instead of just solbriller?
Yes. Both are possible.
- Hun tager solbriller på ... = She puts on sunglasses ...
- Hun tager et par solbriller på ... = She puts on a pair of sunglasses ...
Using et par makes the pair idea more explicit, but it is often unnecessary because solbriller already naturally refers to sunglasses as a paired item.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning DanishMaster Danish — from Hun tager sådan nogle solbriller på, når solen er stærk to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions