Klokken halv ni plejer vi at begynde mødet, men i dag starter vi først kvart over ni på grund af trafikken.

In Danish, halv ni literally means half to nine, not half past nine.

So:

• halv ni = 8:30
• halv ti = 9:30

This often confuses English speakers, because English half nine can mean different things depending on the country, and American English usually says half past nine. In Danish, think of it as halfway to nine.

Plejer means usually, tend to, or be in the habit of.

In this sentence:

• Klokken halv ni plejer vi at begynde mødet
  = We usually begin the meeting at 8:30

The verb at pleje is used to talk about habits or things that normally happen.

Examples:

• Jeg plejer at drikke kaffe om morgenen. = I usually drink coffee in the morning.
• Vi plejer at tage toget. = We usually take the train.

After plejer, Danish normally uses at + infinitive.

So:

• plejer at begynde = usually begin
• plejer at spise = usually eat
• plejer at komme = usually come

This is similar to English usually + verb, but Danish uses the infinitive marker at:

• vi plejer at begynde = we usually begin

Because begynde and starte can be used slightly differently here.

In the first part:

• at begynde mødet = to begin the meeting

Here, begynde directly takes the object mødet.

In the second part:

• starter vi først kvart over ni = we don’t start until 9:15 / we start only at 9:15

Here, starte is used intransitively, meaning simply start. The object mødet is understood from context and does not need to be repeated.

You could also say:

• så starter mødet først kvart over ni
• så begynder mødet først kvart over ni

Both are possible, but klokken makes the time expression explicit.

• Klokken halv ni = at 8:30 / the time being 8:30
• Halv ni can also be understood, especially in speech

Using klokken is very common when giving a time:

• Klokken tre
• Klokken kvart over fem
• Klokken halv otte

It is similar to saying at 8:30.

This is because Danish follows the V2 rule in main clauses: the finite verb usually comes in the second position.

So when a time expression comes first, the verb comes next, and the subject follows:

• Klokken halv ni | plejer | vi ...
• I dag | starter | vi ...

Compare:

• Vi plejer at begynde mødet klokken halv ni.
• Klokken halv ni plejer vi at begynde mødet.

Both are correct; the first one starts with the subject, and the second starts with the time expression.

Here først means not until or only.

So:

• vi starter først kvart over ni
  = we don’t start until 9:15

It does not mean first in the sense of before everything else.
It often adds the idea that something happens later than expected.

Examples:

• Han kommer først i morgen. = He isn’t coming until tomorrow.
• Vi spiser først klokken otte. = We don’t eat until eight.

Kvart over ni means a quarter past nine = 9:15.

Common Danish time expressions:

• kvart over ni = 9:15
• halv ti = 9:30
• kvart i ti = 9:45

A useful pattern:

• kvart over = quarter past
• kvart i = quarter to
• halv ti = half to ten = 9:30

Yes, very closely.

• på grund af = because of
• trafikken = the traffic

So:

• på grund af trafikken = because of the traffic

This is a fixed expression and very common:

• på grund af vejret = because of the weather
• på grund af sygdom = because of illness

Notice that af is part of the expression and must stay there.

Trafikken is the definite form: the traffic.

• trafik = traffic
• trafikken = the traffic

In this sentence, Danish uses the definite form because it refers to the traffic affecting the situation right now, much like English the traffic in because of the traffic.

Mødet means the meeting, while et møde means a meeting.

• et møde = a meeting
• mødet = the meeting

The sentence refers to a specific meeting that both speaker and listener know about, so Danish uses the definite form.

This is formed by adding the article to the end of the noun:

• møde → mødet

Yes, but in many everyday contexts they overlap.

• begynde = begin
• starte = start

In this sentence, both sound natural. Very roughly:

• begynde can sound a little more neutral or formal
• starte can sound a little more everyday and dynamic

You will often hear both:

• Mødet begynder klokken ni.
• Mødet starter klokken ni.

Both mean The meeting starts at nine.

Yes.

You could say:

• ... men i dag begynder vi først kvart over ni ...
• ... men i dag begynder mødet først kvart over ni ...

That would also be correct. The original sentence uses begynde in the first part and starte in the second part simply for natural variation.

Because i dag is a fixed adverbial phrase meaning today, and in Danish it is written as two words.

• i dag = today
• i morgen = tomorrow
• i går = yesterday

English speakers sometimes expect one word because English writes today as one word, but Danish does not.

A more neutral version would be:

• Vi plejer at begynde mødet klokken halv ni, men i dag starter vi først kvart over ni på grund af trafikken.

This version begins with vi, so it may feel easier for learners to follow. The original sentence starts with the time expression to emphasize when the meeting is usually begun.

Two common pronunciation points are:

• begynde: the gy sound may feel unfamiliar. The word is often pronounced more smoothly than English speakers expect, something like be-GYN-de with a soft Danish sound in the middle.
• plejer: the spelling may suggest a very clear j, but in real speech it often sounds smoother, roughly like PLY-er.

Also remember that spoken Danish often reduces endings, so words may sound less distinct than they look in writing. It is worth listening to native audio several times rather than relying only on spelling.