Vi nøjes ikke med at tale om problemet; vi prøver også at finde en løsning sammen.

Breakdown of Vi nøjes ikke med at tale om problemet; vi prøver også at finde en løsning sammen.

en
a
vi
we
at
to
om
about
også
also
sammen
together
tale
to talk
ikke
not
finde
to find
prøve
to try
løsningen
the solution
problemet
the problem
nøjes med
to settle for

Questions & Answers about Vi nøjes ikke med at tale om problemet; vi prøver også at finde en løsning sammen.

What does nøjes med mean here?

Nøjes med means something like to settle for, to be content with, or to limit oneself to.

So:

  • Vi nøjes ikke med at tale om problemet
    = We do not just settle for talking about the problem

It is a very common Danish expression, and it often suggests that someone does more than the minimum.

A few similar examples:

  • Jeg nøjes med en kop kaffe.
    = I’ll just have one cup of coffee.
  • Han nøjedes ikke med at klage.
    = He didn’t stop at complaining.

In your sentence, it emphasizes that we don’t only talkwe also try to solve it.

Why is it med at tale and not just at tale?

Because nøjes normally takes the preposition med.

The pattern is:

  • nøjes med + noun
  • nøjes med at + infinitive

So:

  • Vi nøjes med snak.
  • Vi nøjes med at tale.

Here, med belongs to the verb expression nøjes med, and at tale is the infinitive phrase after it.

This is something English speakers often have to memorize, because English does not use the same structure in exactly the same way.

Why is ikke placed after nøjes?

Because in a Danish main clause, the finite verb usually comes early, and ikke normally comes after that finite verb.

So:

  • Vi nøjes ikke med ...
  • Vi prøver også ...

Here, nøjes is the finite verb, so ikke comes after it.

Compare:

  • Jeg kommer ikke i dag.
  • Hun spiser ikke kød.

This is very normal Danish word order. English speakers sometimes want to put the negation earlier, but Danish usually places ikke after the finite verb in main clauses.

Why is også after prøver?

For the same basic word-order reason: in a main clause, the finite verb comes before sentence adverbs like også, ikke, aldrig, etc.

So:

  • vi prøver også at finde en løsning
  • not vi også prøver ... in a normal main clause

A useful rule of thumb:

  • Main clause: subject + finite verb + adverb
  • Subordinate clause: subject + adverb + finite verb

Compare:

  • Vi prøver også at finde en løsning.
  • ... fordi vi også prøver at finde en løsning.

That difference is very important in Danish.

What is the role of at in at tale and at finde?

Here at is the infinitive marker, like English to in to speak or to find.

So:

  • at tale = to speak / to talk
  • at finde = to find

In this sentence:

  • med at tale om problemet
  • at finde en løsning

English speakers should be careful, though: Danish at is not always translated as English to, and English to is not always at in Danish. But with plain infinitives like these, they match nicely.

Why does it say tale om problemet?

Because tale om means to talk about.

This is a fixed and very common combination:

  • tale om noget = talk about something

So:

  • tale om problemet = talk about the problem

You can think of om as corresponding to English about here.

Other examples:

  • Vi taler om politik.
  • Hun talte om sin familie.
Could I use snakke om instead of tale om?

Yes, very often you could.

  • tale om = talk about
  • snakke om = also talk about

The difference is mostly style:

  • tale is often felt to be a bit more neutral or slightly more formal
  • snakke is often a bit more informal/conversational

So this sentence could also be:

  • Vi nøjes ikke med at snakke om problemet ...

That would still sound natural, just slightly more casual.

Why is it en løsning and not løsningen?

Because the sentence means a solution, not the solution.

  • en løsning = a solution
  • løsningen = the solution

Using en løsning suggests that we are trying to find some workable solution, not necessarily one already identified.

If you said:

  • vi prøver også at finde løsningen

that would sound more like we are trying to find the solution, perhaps the specific correct answer to a known problem.

What does sammen mean at the end?

Sammen means together.

So:

  • finde en løsning sammen
    = find a solution together

It tells us that we are doing it jointly.

Placing sammen at the end is very natural in Danish. It often comes late in the sentence, especially when it modifies the whole action.

Compare:

  • Vi arbejder sammen.
  • De bor sammen.
  • Vi prøver at løse problemet sammen.
Why is there a semicolon instead of a comma or full stop?

The semicolon links two closely related independent clauses:

  • Vi nøjes ikke med at tale om problemet
  • vi prøver også at finde en løsning sammen

Each part could stand as its own sentence, but the semicolon shows that they belong very closely together in meaning.

It works much like in English:

  • We don’t just talk about the problem; we also try to find a solution together.

A full stop would also be possible, but the semicolon makes the connection tighter.

How should I understand the overall structure of the sentence?

It is basically a not only ... also ... idea, but expressed in a very Danish way.

Structure:

  • Vi nøjes ikke med at tale om problemet
    = We don’t settle for just talking about the problem
  • vi prøver også at finde en løsning sammen
    = we also try to find a solution together

So the logic is:

  • not only X
  • but also Y

Danish does not always use a direct equivalent of English not only ... but also. Here it uses:

  • nøjes ikke med ...
  • også ...

That sounds very natural in Danish.

Is prøver at finde a common Danish pattern?

Yes. Prøve at + infinitive is very common and means try to + verb.

So:

  • prøver at finde = try to find
  • prøver at forstå = try to understand
  • prøver at hjælpe = try to help

This is a very useful pattern to learn.

Note that in everyday speech, some Danes may sometimes drop at in certain contexts, but the standard written form here is definitely:

  • prøver at finde
How do you pronounce some of the tricky words?

A few words here may be difficult for English speakers:

  • nøjes
    The ø is a front rounded vowel that English does not really have.
    Try something between uh and er, but with rounded lips.

  • løsning
    Again, ø is the tricky part. The ending -ning is usually light and unstressed.

  • prøver
    Also contains ø, and the r affects the vowel quality in standard Danish pronunciation.

  • sammen
    Often pronounced quite smoothly in speech, with the final -en reduced.

The biggest challenge is usually not the consonants, but the Danish vowels and reductions in natural speech.

What tense is the sentence in?

It is in the present tense.

The finite verbs are:

  • nøjes = present tense of at nøjes
  • prøver = present tense of at prøve

So the sentence describes a general present action or habit:

  • We don’t just talk about the problem; we also try to find a solution together.

It could describe:

  • a current approach
  • a general principle
  • something people regularly do
Can I translate vi as we every time?

In this sentence, yes: vi = we.

But remember that Danish vi can sometimes feel a bit broader in context, depending on who is included — for example:

  • the speaker and listener
  • the speaker and a group
  • an organization or team

In your sentence, vi suggests a shared effort: we as a group are not only discussing the problem, but also trying to solve it together.

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