Vi kan ikke køre videre, hvis der ikke er mere benzin.

In a normal Danish main clause, the finite verb usually comes early, and ikke typically comes after that verb.

So:

• Vi kan ikke køre videre = We cannot continue driving

Pattern:

• Vi = subject
• kan = finite verb
• ikke = not
• køre videre = continue driving / drive on

This is different from English, where not usually comes after an auxiliary too, but the overall word order can still feel different when you compare longer sentences.

A useful rule:

• In a main clause, ikke often comes after the finite verb.
• In a subordinate clause, it often comes before the finite verb.

That is why you get:

• Vi kan ikke ... but
• hvis der ikke er ...

Because hvis der ikke er mere benzin is a subordinate clause introduced by hvis (if).

In Danish subordinate clauses, the word order is different from main clauses. The negation ikke usually comes before the finite verb.

So:

• hvis der ikke er mere benzin = if there is no more petrol/gas

Structure:

• hvis = if
• der = there
• ikke = not
• er = is
• mere benzin = more petrol/gas

Compare:

• Main clause: Der er ikke mere benzin
• Subordinate clause: hvis der ikke er mere benzin

In this particular sentence, the order looks the same after der, but the important point is that ikke belongs before er in this kind of clause.

Here der means there, as in English there is / there are.

So:

• der er benzin = there is petrol/gas
• der ikke er mere benzin = there is no more petrol/gas

This is called existential der. It does not refer to a place. It is just used to introduce the existence or presence of something.

So in this sentence, der does not mean there in the sense of over there. It is the same kind of there as in:

• There is a problem
• There is no fuel left

Yes, mere literally means more, but in negative sentences it often corresponds to English any more or no more.

So:

• mere benzin = more petrol/gas
• ikke mere benzin = no more petrol/gas / not any more petrol/gas

In this sentence:

• hvis der ikke er mere benzin naturally means
• if there is no more petrol/gas or
• if there isn’t any more petrol/gas

This is very common in Danish.

Examples:

• Jeg har ikke mere kaffe. = I don’t have any more coffee.
• Der er ikke mere tid. = There is no more time.

Because benzin is an uncountable noun.

Use:

• mere with uncountable things: fuel, water, time, money
• flere with countable plural nouns: cars, books, people

So:

• mere benzin = more petrol/gas
• mere vand = more water
• flere biler = more cars
• flere mennesker = more people

Since you do not normally count benzin as individual units, Danish uses mere.

Køre videre means continue driving, drive on, or more generally go on by vehicle.

• køre = drive / ride / go by vehicle
• videre = further / on / onward

Together:

• køre videre = continue driving / drive on

In this sentence, it means that the journey cannot continue by car because there is no fuel.

Similar examples:

• Vi må køre videre nu. = We have to continue driving now.
• Bussen kørte videre. = The bus continued on.

Yes. Literally it is about driving, but in context it can be translated naturally as:

• We can’t continue driving
• We can’t drive any farther
• We can’t go on

The best English version depends on context. If the sentence is clearly about a car trip, We can’t drive any farther or We can’t continue driving may sound most natural.

So the Danish is specific about traveling by vehicle, but English may translate it in a slightly looser way if that sounds more natural.

Danish often uses an existential structure with der er when talking about whether something is available or present.

So:

• der er mere benzin = there is more petrol/gas

This focuses on the existence/availability of fuel.

You could also say something with have in other contexts, for example:

• Vi har ikke mere benzin = We don’t have any more petrol/gas

That is also natural Danish.

The version in your sentence,

• hvis der ikke er mere benzin, sounds a bit more like if there is no more fuel left.

So both ideas are possible, but der er is very common when talking about whether something remains or is available.

It means the fuel used in a petrol/gasoline car.

So:

• British English: petrol
• American English: gas or gasoline

The Danish word is benzin.

Be careful: Danish gas usually means actual gas, not gasoline.

So if you are translating for learners:

• benzin = petrol / gasoline

Hvis means if and introduces a condition.

So the sentence has two parts:

1. Vi kan ikke køre videre = We can’t continue driving
2. hvis der ikke er mere benzin = if there is no more petrol/gas

Together, it expresses a condition:

• We cannot continue driving if there is no more fuel.

This is a very common way to build conditional sentences in Danish.

Examples:

• Hvis det regner, bliver vi hjemme. = If it rains, we stay home.
• Hvis du vil, kan vi gå nu. = If you want, we can go now.

The comma separates the main clause from the subordinate clause:

• Vi kan ikke køre videre,
• hvis der ikke er mere benzin.

This helps show that the second part depends on the first.

In Danish punctuation, subordinate clauses are often separated with a comma. You may also see some variation depending on the comma system being followed, but the comma in your sentence is completely normal and very common.

So for a learner, the main point is:

• the comma marks the beginning of the if-clause.