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

If the car does not move, we have to call the mechanic.

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

• til: to
• vi: we
• hvis: if
• ikke: not

Questions & Answers about Hvis bilen ikke bevæger sig, må vi ringe til mekanikeren.

Why does the sentence start with hvis?

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.

Why is it bilen and not en bil?

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.

What is happening in bevæger sig?