Lad være med at spise chokoladen, før gæsterne kommer.

It is a very common Danish way to say don’t do something.

So:

• Lad være med at spise = Don’t eat

A good learner shortcut is to memorize the whole pattern:

• lad være med at + infinitive

Even though the words have a more literal meaning on their own, the full expression works as a fixed unit in modern Danish.

Because lad være med at is the standard expression. The med is part of the construction.

So the safest way to learn it is not as separate pieces, but as one pattern:

• Lad være med at sige det. = Don’t say that.
• Lad være med at løbe. = Don’t run.

You may sometimes hear variations in casual speech, but lad være med at is the normal form learners should use.

Yes. Lad is the imperative form of at lade.

Danish commands usually leave out the subject, just like English often does:

• Eat the chocolate.
• Don’t eat the chocolate.

So in Danish, you do not need to say du or I here. The sentence can be addressed to one person or more than one person, depending on context.

Because only lad is the imperative verb here.

After med at, Danish uses the infinitive:

• at spise = to eat

So the structure is:

• Lad = imperative
• være med at spise = the action you are being told not to do

That is why you get:

• Lad være med at spise chokoladen

and not Lad være med at spis chokoladen.

Because Danish usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the.

Here:

• chokolade = chocolate
• chokoladen = the chocolate

and

• gæster = guests
• gæsterne = the guests

So:

• -en here marks singular definite
• -ne marks plural definite

This is one of the big differences between Danish and English.

Yes. Chokoladen means the chocolate, so it refers to chocolate that is specific or already known in the situation.

For example, it could mean:

• the chocolate on the table
• the chocolate you bought for the guests
• the chocolate everyone knows about

If you were talking about chocolate more generally, you would often use chokolade without the definite ending.

Because Danish often uses the present tense for future events when the time reference is already clear.

So:

• før gæsterne kommer literally uses present tense
• but in English it is naturally translated as before the guests arrive

This is very normal in Danish, especially after time words like:

• før = before
• når = when
• efter = after

So kommer does not mean the guests are arriving right now; it means their arrival is future relative to the command.

It is a time clause introduced by før.

The main command is:

• Lad være med at spise chokoladen

Then før gæsterne kommer adds the time limit:

• before the guests arrive

So the whole sentence means: do not do that action until that later event happens.

Yes, that is grammatical.

• Spis ikke chokoladen = Don’t eat the chocolate
• Lad være med at spise chokoladen = Don’t eat the chocolate

Both work, but lad være med at + infinitive is a very common and natural way to make a negative command in Danish. Spis ikke ... is shorter and more direct.

As a learner, it is very useful to get comfortable with lad være med at, because Danes use it a lot.

Yes.

• Lad være! can mean Stop that! or Don’t!

When you want to name the action, you add med at + infinitive:

• Lad være! = Don’t!
• Lad være med at spise chokoladen! = Don’t eat the chocolate!