På biblioteket er der mere arbejdsro, og derfor har jeg bedre fokus der end på kontoret om eftermiddagen.

In Danish, some places are commonly used with på even when English would use in. Biblioteket is one of those places where på biblioteket is very natural and common, especially when you mean at the library as a place/activity setting.

• på biblioteket = at the library
• i biblioteket = in the library, physically inside the building

Both can be possible, but på biblioteket is often the more idiomatic choice in everyday Danish when talking about where you work, study, borrow books, etc.

The same thing happens with other locations:

• på kontoret = at the office
• på skolen = at school
• på hospitalet = at the hospital

This is the common Danish there is / there are structure.

• der er = there is / there are

So:

• På biblioteket er der mere arbejdsro
  = At the library, there is more quiet for working / more working peace

Even though der literally often means there, in this structure it is not really a location word. It is a grammatical placeholder, like English there in there is.

Compare:

• Der er en bog på bordet = There is a book on the table
• Der er mere arbejdsro på biblioteket = There is more quiet for working at the library

Because Danish is a V2 language, which means the finite verb normally comes in the second position in main clauses.

Here, På biblioteket is placed first for emphasis/topic. Once that happens, the verb must come next:

• På biblioteket
  • er
    • der mere arbejdsro

Not:

• På biblioteket der er mere arbejdsro ❌

This is a very important Danish word order pattern.

More examples:

• I dag går jeg tidligt hjem = Today I’m going home early
• Om morgenen drikker hun kaffe = In the morning she drinks coffee

The thing placed first can vary, but the verb still stays in second position.

Arbejdsro is a compound noun:

• arbejde = work
• ro = calm, peace, quiet

So arbejdsro means something like:

• peace and quiet to work
• a calm working environment
• uninterrupted quiet for concentration

It is a very natural Danish word, and English often needs a whole phrase to express it.

For example:

• Jeg har brug for arbejdsro = I need peace and quiet to work
• Her er god arbejdsro = It’s good for concentrated work here

Mere means more, and arbejdsro is a noun, so mere arbejdsro means more peace and quiet for working.

This is different from using an adjective. You are not saying the quiet is better; you are saying there is more of it.

Compare:

• mere arbejdsro = more working peace / more quiet to work in
• bedre arbejdsmiljø = a better work environment

So mere is used because arbejdsro is treated as something that can be present in greater or smaller amounts.

Again, this is the Danish V2 rule.

After the conjunction og, a new main clause begins:

• og derfor har jeg bedre fokus...

Here, derfor is placed first in the clause. Because the verb must be in second position, the verb comes before the subject:

• derfor
  • har
    • jeg

Not:

• derfor jeg har ❌

This is very common in Danish with adverbs like:

• derfor = therefore
• så = so
• alligevel = nevertheless
• nu = now

Examples:

• Derfor kommer jeg senere = Therefore I’m coming later
• Så gik vi hjem = Then we went home
• Alligevel blev han = Nevertheless, he stayed

No, these are two different uses of der.

1. In er der mere arbejdsro, der is grammatical/expletive:

   • der er = there is / there are

2. In bedre fokus der, der is a real location word:

   • der = there

So:

• der er = there is
• fokus der = focus there

This is a very common source of confusion for learners because the same word appears in both roles.

Both can exist, but they mean slightly different things.

• bedre fokus = better focus, higher-quality concentration
• mere fokus = more focus, a greater amount of attention

In this sentence, bedre fokus sounds natural because the speaker means they can concentrate better at the library than at the office.

So:

• mere arbejdsro = more peace and quiet
• bedre fokus = better concentration

Danish often uses bedre in cases where English also says better:

• Jeg har bedre energi om morgenen = I have better energy in the morning
• Hun har bedre koncentration derhjemme = She has better concentration at home

Because both are being used as uncountable/general nouns here.

In English, you also usually would not say:

• a peace and quiet
• a focus
  in this kind of meaning

So in Danish:

• mere arbejdsro = more peace and quiet
• bedre fokus = better focus

No article is needed.

By contrast, biblioteket and kontoret are definite singular nouns:

• biblioteket = the library
• kontoret = the office

The definite article is attached to the end of the noun in Danish:

• et bibliotek = a library
• biblioteket = the library
• et kontor = an office
• kontoret = the office

Because the comparison is between two locations:

• der = there, at the library
• på kontoret = at the office

So the full comparison is:

• bedre fokus der end på kontoret

This means:

• better focus there than at the office

Danish keeps the preposition with the second location because it is part of the phrase.

You can think of the underlying full comparison as something like:

• ...bedre fokus der, end jeg har på kontoret but the repeated verb phrase is omitted because it is understood.

Om is often used in Danish for parts of the day in general time expressions.

• om morgenen = in the morning
• om formiddagen = in the late morning
• om eftermiddagen = in the afternoon
• om aftenen = in the evening
• om natten = at night

So på kontoret om eftermiddagen means:

• at the office in the afternoon

This does not refer to one specific afternoon, but to that time of day in general.

Because they are neuter nouns in the definite singular.

Danish often adds the definite article as an ending:

• et bibliotek = a library

• biblioteket = the library

• et kontor = an office
• kontoret = the office

This is one of the big differences from English. Instead of putting the before the noun, Danish often adds the article to the noun itself.

It has two coordinated main clauses joined by og:

1. På biblioteket er der mere arbejdsro
2. og derfor har jeg bedre fokus der end på kontoret om eftermiddagen

A rough structure is:

• På biblioteket = fronted location
• er = verb
• der = expletive there
• mere arbejdsro = more quiet for working

then

• og = and
• derfor = therefore
• har = verb
• jeg = subject
• bedre fokus = better focus
• der = there
• end på kontoret = than at the office
• om eftermiddagen = in the afternoon

This sentence is a very good example of normal Danish main-clause word order:

• first position can be a place word or adverb
• the finite verb comes second
• the subject may come after the verb if something else is first

Yes, you could, but it changes the nuance.

• jeg har bedre fokus = my concentration is better
• jeg har mere fokus = I have more focus

Both are understandable, but bedre fokus sounds more natural here if the point is that the library helps you concentrate better overall.

If the speaker wanted to emphasize quantity or degree more strongly, mere fokus might also work, but bedre fokus is probably the more idiomatic choice in this sentence.