Hvis der er et problem, skal vi ordne det med det samme.

If there is a problem, we have to sort it out right away.

Breakdown of Hvis der er et problem, skal vi ordne det med det samme.

• et: a
• være: to be
• vi: we
• det: it

Questions & Answers about Hvis der er et problem, skal vi ordne det med det samme.

Why does the sentence begin with Hvis, and what kind of clause is Hvis der er et problem?

Hvis means if and introduces a subordinate clause.

So the sentence has two parts:

• Hvis der er et problem = subordinate clause
• skal vi ordne det med det samme = main clause

A subordinate clause gives the condition, and the main clause gives the result or consequence.

This is very common in Danish:

• Hvis du kommer, bliver jeg glad.
• Hvis det regner, bliver vi hjemme.

Why is it der er et problem and not det er et problem?

Here, der er is the Danish way to say there is / there are when introducing the existence of something.

So:

• der er et problem = there is a problem

But det er et problem usually means it is a problem, where det refers to something already mentioned or understood.

Compare:

• Der er et problem. = A problem exists.
• Det er et problem. = That is a problem.

So in this sentence, der er is the natural choice because the sentence is introducing the existence of a problem.

Why is it et problem and not en problem?