Når vi har brød, ost og lidt frugt, behøver vi ikke købe hvad som helst i kiosken på stationen.

When we have bread, cheese, and a little fruit, we do not need to buy just anything at the kiosk at the station.

Breakdown of Når vi har brød, ost og lidt frugt, behøver vi ikke købe hvad som helst i kiosken på stationen.

• og: and
• når: when
• vi: we
• have: to have

Questions & Answers about Når vi har brød, ost og lidt frugt, behøver vi ikke købe hvad som helst i kiosken på stationen.

Why does the sentence start with Når, and why not Hvis?

Når means when or whenever here. It is often used for something that is expected, typical, or repeated.

So Når vi har brød, ost og lidt frugt ... suggests something like when/whenever we have bread, cheese, and a little fruit...

If you used Hvis, the meaning would be more like if: a more open condition, not something presented as normal or expected.

So the contrast is roughly:

• Når vi har ... = when/whenever we have ...
• Hvis vi har ... = if we have ...

Why is the word order behøver vi instead of vi behøver?

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

The first position here is the whole subordinate clause:

Når vi har brød, ost og lidt frugt

After that, the main clause starts, and the finite verb must come next:

behøver vi ikke købe ...

If the sentence started directly with the subject, it would be:

Vi behøver ikke købe hvad som helst i kiosken på stationen.

But because the Når-clause comes first, the verb and subject switch order.

Why is there a comma after frugt?