Uanset hvem der står ved informationen, spørger min søster altid høfligt om hjælp.

Uanset means regardless of or no matter. It introduces a clause that shows the situation does not affect what happens in the main clause.

So:

• Uanset hvem der står ved informationen = No matter who is at the information desk
• main clause: spørger min søster altid høfligt om hjælp = my sister always politely asks for help

It is a very common way in Danish to express it makes no difference who/what/where/etc.

Examples:

• Uanset hvad du siger ... = No matter what you say ...
• Uanset hvor vi går hen ... = No matter where we go ...

Because this is an embedded question / subordinate clause, not a direct question.

In a direct question, Danish would say:

• Hvem står ved informationen? = Who is standing at the information desk?

But after uanset, the clause becomes embedded, so Danish uses:

• hvem der står ved informationen

This der is very common after question words like hvem, hvad, hvilken when they are the subject of a subordinate clause.

So compare:

• Hvem står der? = direct question
• Jeg ved, hvem der står der. = embedded clause
• Uanset hvem der står der ... = embedded clause after uanset

Here, der helps mark the subordinate clause when the question word is the subject of that clause.

In hvem der står ved informationen, hvem is the person doing the standing, so it is the subject. Danish often inserts der in this pattern.

A useful learner rule:

• If the question word is the subject, Danish often uses der
• If it is not the subject, you usually do not use der

Compare:

• Jeg ved, hvem der kommer. = I know who is coming.
  (hvem is the subject)

• Jeg ved, hvem du kender. = I know who you know.
  (hvem is the object, so no der)

In this sentence, informationen does not mean abstract information. It means the information desk, reception desk, or help/information counter in a public place such as a station, hospital, museum, or store.

So:

• stå ved informationen = stand at the information desk / be at reception

The preposition ved often means by, at, or near, depending on context.

Examples:

• Han står ved døren. = He is standing by the door.
• Hun sidder ved bordet. = She is sitting at the table.
• De er ved receptionen. = They are at the reception desk.

Because Danish usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun.

So:

• information = information desk / information office (indefinite)
• informationen = the information desk (definite)

This is one of the first big differences from English.

More examples:

• en bil = a car

• bilen = the car

• et bord = a table
• bordet = the table

Here, informationen refers to a specific desk/counter in the situation, so the definite form is natural.

Because the sentence begins with a subordinate clause:

• Uanset hvem der står ved informationen, ...

After that, Danish uses verb-second word order in the main clause. That means the finite verb comes before the subject if something else is placed first.

So the main clause is:

• spørger min søster altid høfligt om hjælp

The normal main-clause order without the opening clause would be:

• Min søster spørger altid høfligt om hjælp.

But when the sentence starts with the uanset clause, the finite verb moves into second position:

• Uanset ..., spørger min søster ...

This is a very important Danish word-order rule.

Their position is fairly natural here:

• spørger min søster altid høfligt om hjælp

Here:

• altid = always
• høfligt = politely

A simple way to understand it:

• altid tells you how often
• høfligt tells you how she asks

So the order is:

1. verb: spørger
2. subject: min søster
3. adverb of frequency: altid
4. adverb of manner: høfligt
5. prepositional phrase: om hjælp

You may sometimes see slightly different adverb placement in other contexts, but this order is very natural and standard.

Because Danish uses the fixed expression spørge om hjælp, which means ask for help.

So:

• spørge om noget = ask for something
• spørge nogen om noget = ask someone for something

Examples:

• Hun spørger om hjælp. = She asks for help.
• Han spurgte læreren om råd. = He asked the teacher for advice.

Be careful not to confuse this with:

• spørge om noget = ask for something
• spørge nogen = ask someone

For example:

• Jeg spørger min ven om hjælp. = I ask my friend for help.

Yes, Danish has other ways to express a similar idea, but uanset hvem is a very standard and elegant choice.

Possible alternatives include:

• lige meget hvem der står ved informationen ...
• ligegyldigt hvem der står ved informationen ...

These also mean something like no matter who.

However:

• uanset hvem often sounds a bit more neutral and formal
• lige meget hvem can sound a bit more conversational
• ligegyldigt hvem is also possible, but may feel slightly more marked depending on context

So for a textbook-style sentence, uanset hvem is an excellent and very natural choice.

Literally, yes: står is the present tense of stå, meaning stand.

But in Danish, just like in English, verbs of position can be used more flexibly. In this sentence, står ved informationen most naturally means:

• is standing at the information desk
• or more loosely is at the information desk / is staffing the desk

So it may describe actual standing, but it can also simply mean whoever is there working at that spot.

This is very normal Danish usage.

Because the first part is a subordinate clause:

• Uanset hvem der står ved informationen

and the second part is the main clause:

• spørger min søster altid høfligt om hjælp

In standard Danish punctuation, subordinate clauses are separated by commas. So the comma helps show the structure clearly.

A learner will often find these words tricky:

• uanset
• hvem
• står
• spørger
• høfligt
• hjælp

A few helpful notes:

• hvem: the h is silent, so it sounds roughly like vem
• står: the vowel is long and rounded; the r affects the vowel quality
• spørger: this is difficult because of spø- and the soft Danish r
• høfligt: the ø is important; it is not like English o
• hjælp: the beginning can be tricky; many learners simplify it too much

If you want a practical learning tip: listen to the whole sentence several times and copy the rhythm, not just the individual words. Danish pronunciation often makes more sense when learned in full phrases rather than word by word.

Usually ved informationen is the better choice here.

• ved suggests at/by the information desk
• på would usually sound less natural with this specific meaning

Danish prepositions often do not match English one-to-one, so even if English sometimes says at the desk or on duty at reception, Danish naturally prefers ved informationen in this context.

So as a learner, it is best to remember the phrase as:

• stå ved informationen