Bind dit tørklæde om halsen, før du går ud i kulden!

Bind is the imperative form of the verb at binde (to tie).

• at binde = infinitive, to tie
• binder = present tense, ties / is tying
• bandt = past tense, tied
• bind = imperative, tie!

So Bind dit tørklæde ... means Tie your scarf ...

Because tørklæde is a neuter noun in Danish.

In Danish, your changes form depending on the gender and number of the noun:

• din for common gender singular nouns
• dit for neuter singular nouns
• dine for plural nouns

Since it is:

• et tørklæde = a scarf

you must say:

• dit tørklæde = your scarf

Compare:

• din jakke = your jacket
• dit tørklæde = your scarf
• dine handsker = your gloves

Tørklæde means scarf.

It is a neuter noun:

• et tørklæde = a scarf
• tørklædet = the scarf
• tørklæder = scarves
• tørklæderne = the scarves

The word is often used for something you wear around the neck, as in this sentence.

This is a very common pattern in Danish. When talking about body parts, Danish often uses the definite form rather than a possessive.

So Danish prefers:

• om halsen = around the neck

where English would usually say:

• around your neck

This happens a lot:

• Jeg vasker hænderne = I wash my hands
• Hun løftede armen = She raised her arm
• Han slog hovedet = He hit his head

So om halsen sounds natural in Danish, even though English would normally use your.

Here, om means around.

So:

• om halsen = around the neck

Be aware that om has many meanings in Danish depending on context, for example:

• om sommeren = in the summer
• en bog om Danmark = a book about Denmark
• gå om hjørnet = go around the corner

In this sentence, it clearly means around.

Før means before.

It introduces the clause:

• før du går ud i kulden = before you go out into the cold

So the full structure is:

• Bind dit tørklæde om halsen = main clause / command
• før du går ud i kulden = subordinate clause telling when

Because før du går ud i kulden is a subordinate clause, and Danish normally places a comma before subordinate clauses.

So:

• Bind dit tørklæde om halsen, før du går ud i kulden!

This comma is standard in Danish writing.

Because gå ud works together as a verb expression meaning go out.

• gå = go / walk
• gå ud = go out

In the clause:

• før du går ud i kulden

the normal order is:

• du = subject
• går = finite verb
• ud = particle
• i kulden = prepositional phrase

So går ud is the natural order here.

This is an important distinction:

• ud usually shows movement outward
• ude usually shows location outside

Examples:

• Jeg går ud. = I am going out.
• Jeg er ude. = I am outside.

In your sentence, there is movement:

• du går ud i kulden = you go out into the cold

So ud is the correct choice.

Yes, i often means in, but in Danish it is also used in expressions where English may prefer into or something less literal.

Here:

• i kulden literally = in the cold
• natural English meaning = into the cold / out into the cold

So the sentence means that you are going out into a cold environment.

Also, kulden is the definite form:

• kulde = cold
• kulden = the cold

Danish often uses the cold in this kind of expression.

Because Danish often uses the definite form in general situation expressions like this.

• i kulden = in the cold
• i varmen = in the warmth / heat
• i solen = in the sun

It does not necessarily refer to one specific, uniquely identified cold; it is just the natural idiomatic way to say it.

Yes. Danish often uses the present tense to talk about future events when the context makes the time clear.

So:

• før du går ud i kulden literally = before you go out in the cold
• but the action is understood as future from the situation

English does something similar:

• Call me before you leave.

That is present form, but future meaning.

Yes, you could, but it would not mean exactly the same thing.

• før du går ud i kulden = before you go out into the cold
• før du går udenfor = before you go outside

Udenfor focuses on being outside in general.
Ud i kulden specifically emphasizes going out into the cold.

So the original sentence is more vivid and more specifically about cold weather.

It is neutral and completely natural everyday Danish.

Because it uses du and dit, it is addressing one person in the normal informal singular way, just like everyday modern Danish usually does.

It sounds like something a parent, friend, or partner might say:

• Bind dit tørklæde om halsen, før du går ud i kulden!

So it is not especially formal, and it does not sound strange or overly literary.

You could turn it into a statement like:

• Du skal binde dit tørklæde om halsen, før du går ud i kulden.
  • You should / have to tie your scarf around your neck before you go out into the cold.

Or:

• Jeg synes, du skal binde dit tørklæde om halsen, før du går ud i kulden.
  • I think you should tie your scarf around your neck before you go out into the cold.

The original imperative Bind ...! is more direct.