Børnene ser på et program på fjernsynet, mens jeg laver aftensmad.

Børnene means the children.

• barn = child
• børn = children
• børnene = the children

In Danish, the definite article is usually added to the end of the noun rather than written as a separate word like the in English.

So:

• et barn = a child
• barnet = the child
• børn = children
• børnene = the children

This is also a good example of an irregular plural:

• singular: barn
• plural: børn

Because at se på means to watch / to look at something.

In Danish:

• se can mean see
• se på often means look at or watch

So:

• Jeg ser en fugl = I see a bird
• Jeg ser på en fugl = I am looking at a bird
• Børnene ser på et program = The children are watching a program

With TV, videos, and things you actively watch, se på is very common.

The two instances of på do different jobs.

1. ser på
   Here, på belongs with the verb and helps create the meaning watch/look at.

2. på fjernsynet
   Here, på means on, as in on the television.

So the phrase:

ser på et program på fjernsynet

means:

are watching a program on television

Even though English also uses watch and on, Danish happens to use på in both places.

Because program is a neuter noun in Danish, so it takes et.

Danish nouns are mainly divided into two grammatical genders:

• en-words
• et-words

Examples:

• en bil = a car
• et hus = a house
• et program = a program

You usually have to learn the gender along with the noun.

Fjernsynet means the television or the TV.

Just like with børnene, Danish often puts the definite article at the end of the noun.

• et fjernsyn = a television / a TV
• fjernsynet = the television / the TV

Since fjernsyn is an et-word, the definite singular ending is -et.

Yes, absolutely. In everyday Danish, tv is very common.

You might hear:

• Børnene ser et program i tv
• Børnene ser på tv
• Børnene ser et program på tv

The sentence with fjernsynet is perfectly correct, but it can sound a bit more literal or traditional. In casual speech, many Danes would simply say tv.

Mens means while.

It connects two things happening at the same time:

• Børnene ser på et program på fjernsynet
• jeg laver aftensmad

Together:

The children are watching a program on television while I make dinner.

So mens introduces a clause that gives the background or simultaneous action.

Because Danish word order is fairly fixed.

In a subordinate clause introduced by a word like mens, the basic order is:

subject + verb + other elements

So:

• mens jeg laver aftensmad

not:

• mens jeg aftensmad laver

Danish is not like German here. The verb does not move to the end of the clause.

A useful pattern:

• Main clause: often verb in second position
• Subordinate clause: conjunction + subject + verb

Because Danish often forms compound nouns as a single word.

• aften = evening
• mad = food

Together:

• aftensmad = evening meal / dinner

This is very normal in Danish. English often writes similar ideas as separate words, but Danish frequently combines them.

Other examples:

• morgenmad = breakfast
• frokostpause = lunch break
• soveværelse = bedroom

Because meal words are often used without an article when speaking generally.

So:

• jeg laver aftensmad = I am making dinner

This works a lot like English:

• I’m making dinner not usually
• I’m making a dinner

If you meant a specific dinner in a special context, you could sometimes use an article, but in ordinary everyday use, aftensmad usually appears without one here.

Yes, laver literally often means make or do, but in context it can naturally mean prepare or cook.

• jeg laver mad = I’m cooking / making food
• jeg laver aftensmad = I’m making dinner / cooking dinner

So even if the core verb is make/do, the natural English translation depends on the context.

Because Danish usually uses the simple present for actions happening now.

• jeg laver aftensmad literally looks like I make dinner
• but in context it often means I am making dinner

Likewise:

• børnene ser på et program = the children are watching a program

Danish does have ways to be more explicit about ongoing action, but very often the plain present tense is enough.

Yes. If the subordinate clause comes first, the main clause follows normal Danish verb-second word order.

So:

Mens jeg laver aftensmad, ser børnene på et program på fjernsynet.

Notice that after the opening clause, the verb ser comes before the subject børnene.

This happens because in a Danish main clause, the finite verb usually comes in second position.

Compare:

• Børnene ser på et program på fjernsynet, mens jeg laver aftensmad.
• Mens jeg laver aftensmad, ser børnene på et program på fjernsynet.

Both are correct.

Yes, a few common ones:

• børnene
  The ø sound may be difficult for English speakers. It is not the same as o.

• ser
  Often pronounced quite lightly, not like English sir.

• fjernsynet
  This word can be tricky because of the cluster at the start and the rhythm of the whole word.

• jeg
  In normal speech, this is often pronounced more like yai / yaih depending on accent, not as it looks to an English speaker.

• laver
  The a is broader than in English late.

• aftensmad
  Watch the compound stress pattern. Danish compounds usually have primary stress on the first part.

If you want to sound natural, it helps to learn the whole sentence as a rhythm unit, not just word by word.