Hvis bilen ikke bevæger sig, må vi ringe til mekanikeren.

Hvis means if and introduces a condition.

So Hvis bilen ikke bevæger sig means If the car doesn’t move.

A learner may compare it with:

• hvis = if
• når = when (for something expected or repeated)
• om can also sometimes mean if/whether, but not in the same way here

In this sentence, hvis is correct because the sentence sets up a condition: under that condition, we must call the mechanic.

Bilen means the car, while en bil means a car.

Danish often makes nouns definite by adding the article to the end of the noun:

• bil = car
• en bil = a car
• bilen = the car

So bilen is the definite form, just like the car in English.

Bevæge sig is a reflexive verb, meaning it uses a reflexive pronoun.

Here:

• bevæger = moves
• sig = itself / himself / herself / themselves, depending on context

So bilen ikke bevæger sig literally looks like the car does not move itself, but in natural English it is simply the car doesn’t move.

Many Danish verbs are used this way, and bevæge sig is a standard expression for move.

Normally, no. The verb in this meaning is bevæge sig, not just bevæge.

Without sig, bevæge is usually transitive, meaning it takes an object:

• Han bevæger stolen = He moves the chair

But when the subject itself is the thing moving, Danish usually says:

• Han bevæger sig = He moves
• Bilen bevæger sig = The car moves

So in this sentence, sig is required.

Because this is a subordinate clause introduced by hvis.

In Danish subordinate clauses, words like ikke usually come before the finite verb:

• Hvis bilen ikke bevæger sig ...

Compare that with a main clause, where ikke often comes after the finite verb:

• Bilen bevæger sig ikke = The car is not moving / doesn’t move

So the placement of ikke is a useful clue that Hvis bilen ikke bevæger sig is a subordinate clause.

This is because Danish uses V2 word order in main clauses: the finite verb must come in the second position.

The sentence begins with the subordinate clause:

• Hvis bilen ikke bevæger sig

That whole clause takes the first position in the sentence. Then the finite verb of the main clause comes next:

• må

So the main clause becomes:

• må vi ringe til mekanikeren

This is very common in Danish:

• Hvis det regner, bliver vi hjemme
• Når han kommer, spiser vi

If the main clause stood alone, it would be:

• Vi må ringe til mekanikeren

But after a fronted clause, Danish switches to:

• Hvis ..., må vi ...

Here må means must / have to.

This is tricky for English speakers because må can sometimes look like English may, but in Danish it often means:

• must
• have permission to
• sometimes something like is probably

In this sentence, the meaning is clearly must / have to:

• Hvis bilen ikke bevæger sig, må vi ringe til mekanikeren
• If the car doesn’t move, we must/have to call the mechanic

So this is not the English may meaning of possibility.

Because ringe normally takes the preposition til when it means call/phone someone.

So:

• ringe til nogen = call someone

Examples:

• Jeg ringer til min ven = I’m calling my friend
• Vi må ringe til mekanikeren = We must call the mechanic

English does not need a preposition here, but Danish does.

Mekanikeren means the mechanic.

Like bilen, it is a definite noun formed with -en:

• en mekaniker = a mechanic
• mekanikeren = the mechanic

So the sentence refers to a specific mechanic, or at least the mechanic in the situation.

No, that would sound wrong in standard Danish.

In a subordinate clause, the normal order is:

• subject + ikke + finite verb
• Hvis bilen ikke bevæger sig

In a main clause, you would say:

• Bilen bevæger sig ikke

So the difference is:

• subordinate clause: ikke before the finite verb
• main clause: ikke after the finite verb

That is one of the most important word-order patterns in Danish.

Yes. Bevæger is the present tense form of bevæge.

So:

• bevæge sig = to move
• bevæger sig = moves / is moving

Danish present tense often covers both the simple present and the present progressive in English, depending on context.

So bilen ikke bevæger sig can correspond to:

• the car doesn’t move
• the car isn’t moving

Yes, in normal Danish writing the comma before the main clause is standard here:

• Hvis bilen ikke bevæger sig, må vi ringe til mekanikeren.

The comma separates the subordinate if-clause from the main clause.

Danish comma rules have changed over time and can vary a bit by style, but with a fronted subordinate clause like this, the comma is standard and expected.

The main clause by itself would be:

• Vi må ringe til mekanikeren.

If you put the conditional clause after it, you could say:

• Vi må ringe til mekanikeren, hvis bilen ikke bevæger sig.

That version is also correct. The main difference is emphasis and sentence flow. The original sentence highlights the condition first:

• Hvis bilen ikke bevæger sig, må vi ringe til mekanikeren.