Vi kan tilgive os selv, hvis vi ved, at vi gjorde vores bedste.

Because kan is a modal verb, and modal verbs in Danish are followed by the bare infinitive.

So you say:

• vi kan tilgive
• not vi kan at tilgive

This is similar to English can forgive, not can to forgive.

Common Danish modal verbs that work this way include kan, skal, vil, må.

Here kan means can / are able to / it is possible to.

In this sentence, it does not mainly mean permission. It expresses general possibility or ability:

• Vi kan tilgive os selv = We can forgive ourselves

So the idea is that self-forgiveness is possible under the condition that follows.

Os is the object form of vi and means us.

Selv means self.

Together, os selv means ourselves.

Danish often builds this idea with:

• mig selv = myself
• dig selv = yourself
• sig selv = himself/herself/itself/themselves in reflexive use
• os selv = ourselves

In this sentence, selv makes it clear that the action goes back to the same people: we forgive ourselves.

Because each clause needs its own subject.

This sentence has three clauses:

1. Vi kan tilgive os selv
2. hvis vi ved
3. at vi gjorde vores bedste

Even though the subject is the same each time, Danish normally repeats it. English does the same:

• We can forgive ourselves if we know that we did our best.

Hvis means if, so it introduces a condition.

Here the meaning is:

• we can forgive ourselves if we know this

That is different from når, which usually means when and suggests something expected, regular, or tied to time rather than condition.

So:

• hvis vi ved = if we know
• når vi ved = when we know

In this sentence, hvis is the natural choice because the second part gives the condition for the first part.

Because Danish uses two different verbs for to know:

• vide / ved = to know a fact, piece of information, or whole statement
• kende / kender = to know a person, place, or something by familiarity

Since the sentence is about knowing that we did our best, it uses vide:

• vi ved, at ...

You would use kender for things like:

• Jeg kender ham = I know him
• Jeg kender byen = I know the city

Because the sentence talks about two different times:

• vi ved = we know now
• vi gjorde vores bedste = we did our best earlier

This is normal in both Danish and English. The knowing happens in the present, but the action being talked about happened in the past.

So the structure is very parallel to English:

• we know that we did our best

Because the subject here is vi, so the possessive must match we:

• vores = our

So:

• vi gjorde vores bedste = we did our best

You do not use sin/sit/sine with vi in this kind of sentence. For a learner, the safe rule is:

• jeg → min/mit/mine
• du → din/dit/dine
• vi → vores
• I → jeres
• de → deres

Bedste is the superlative form of god in this structure.

The forms are:

• god = good
• bedre = better
• bedst / bedste = best

In vores bedste, the adjective is used in a form that fits before an implied noun, almost like our best effort.

So gøre sit/vores bedste is a very common idiomatic expression meaning:

• to do one’s best

Compare:

• Vi gjorde vores bedste = We did our best
• Hun gjorde sit bedste = She did her best

Because this sentence is written with start commas, a common Danish comma style.

The commas mark the beginning of subordinate clauses:

• , hvis vi ved
• , at vi gjorde vores bedste

So the sentence structure is visually divided into:

• main clause
• subordinate clause
• subordinate clause inside that clause

A useful thing to know: modern Danish allows both a system with start commas and a system without them. So you may also see sentences where one or both of these commas are omitted, depending on the chosen comma system.

Sometimes yes, especially in less formal speech or writing, but keeping at is very normal and very safe.

So both may occur:

• vi ved, at vi gjorde vores bedste
• vi ved vi gjorde vores bedste

For learners, it is best to keep at. It makes the structure clearer and sounds fully natural.

The sentence shows standard Danish word order.

Main clause:

• Vi kan tilgive os selv
• subject vi
  • finite verb kan
    • infinitive tilgive

Subordinate clauses:

• hvis vi ved
• at vi gjorde vores bedste

After a subordinating conjunction like hvis or at, Danish normally keeps the subject before the finite verb:

• hvis vi ved
• at vi gjorde

A very useful extra rule: in subordinate clauses, words like ikke usually come before the finite verb:

• hvis vi ikke ved
• at vi ikke gjorde vores bedste

That is one of the clearest word-order differences between main and subordinate clauses in Danish.