Dommeren kommer tidligt, så vi kan begynde til tiden.

Dommeren is the definite form of dommer, so it means the judge or the referee, depending on context.

• en dommer = a judge / a referee
• dommeren = the judge / the referee

The ending -en is a very common way to make a noun definite in Danish.

You usually know from the situation.

In Danish, dommer can refer to:

• a judge in a court
• a referee or umpire in sports
• sometimes a judge in a competition

So the sentence could mean:

• The judge is coming early...
• or The referee is coming early...

Only context tells you which one is intended.

Danish often uses the present tense to talk about the future, especially when the future meaning is clear from context.

So:

• Dommeren kommer tidligt
  literally: The judge/referee comes early
  natural meaning: The judge/referee is coming early / will come early

This is very normal in Danish, just like English can sometimes say:

• She arrives tomorrow
• We start at eight

Here tidligt is an adverb, and it means early.

Compare:

• tidlig = early as an adjective
• tidligt = early as an adverb

Examples:

• en tidlig morgen = an early morning
• han kommer tidligt = he arrives early

In your sentence, tidligt describes how the judge/referee comes, so the adverb form is needed.

Here så means so or therefore.

The sentence structure is:

• Dommeren kommer tidligt = first idea
• så vi kan begynde til tiden = result/consequence

So the meaning is:

• The judge/referee is coming early, so we can start on time.

Both can exist, but they are used a little differently.

In your sentence:

• så vi kan begynde til tiden

this works like so that we can start on time or so we can start on time, where vi is the subject and kan is the verb.

Danish often keeps normal subject-verb order after så in this kind of clause:

• vi kan begynde

If you say:

• så kan vi begynde til tiden

that sounds more like a direct conclusion:

• so then we can start on time

So both are possible, but your version connects the two ideas smoothly in a very natural way.

Because after a modal verb like kan (can), Danish uses the infinitive form of the next verb.

So:

• kan begynde = can begin / can start

Not:

• kan begynder

This is similar to English:

• can begin not
• can begins

Other examples:

• jeg kan komme = I can come
• vi skal vente = we must wait
• hun vil hjælpe = she wants to help / will help

Both can mean to begin / to start, and in many cases they are interchangeable.

• begynde is slightly more like begin
• starte is slightly more like start

In everyday Danish, both are common:

• Vi kan begynde nu
• Vi kan starte nu

Your sentence sounds completely natural with begynde.

Til tiden means on time or at the scheduled time.

So:

• vi kan begynde til tiden = we can begin on time

This expression is very common:

• Toget kom til tiden = The train arrived on time
• Kom til tiden! = Come on time!

This is a very common learner question.

• til tiden = on time, at the planned or expected time
• i tide = in time, before it is too late

Examples:

• Vi begyndte til tiden.
  = We started on time.

• Vi nåede frem i tide.
  = We arrived in time.

In your sentence, til tiden is correct because the idea is starting at the proper scheduled time, not merely before it becomes impossible.

Yes, the comma is natural and correct here.

It separates two clauses:

• Dommeren kommer tidligt
• så vi kan begynde til tiden

In normal written Danish, a comma is commonly used between clauses like these. So the punctuation in the sentence looks completely standard.

Almost, but not perfectly.

Word-for-word:

• Dommeren = the judge/referee
• kommer = comes / is coming
• tidligt = early
• så = so
• vi = we
• kan = can
• begynde = begin
• til tiden = on time

A very close English version is:

• The judge/referee is coming early, so we can start on time.

That sounds more natural in English than a very literal translation like:

• The judge comes early, so we can begin on time.

Begynde is pronounced roughly like beh-GYNN-duh, though the exact Danish sounds are a bit different from English.

A few things learners notice:

• the y is a front rounded vowel, which English does not really have
• the final -e is a weak vowel sound
• Danish pronunciation is often less phonetic than learners expect

Even if the spelling looks difficult at first, begynde is a very common verb, so it is worth learning early.

Not in this meaning.

To say someone arrives early, Danish normally uses:

• kommer tidligt

So this sentence is the natural choice:

• Dommeren kommer tidligt

Using er would usually describe a state rather than the action of arriving/coming. Here the important idea is that the judge/referee comes earlier than usual or earlier than expected.

It is completely natural and neutral. It works in both everyday and fairly formal contexts.

Because dommer can belong to sports, legal, or official situations, the sentence can fit many contexts, but the grammar and wording themselves are not especially formal or informal.