Hun var høflig, selv da bussen var forsinket.

Hun means she and is the subject form of the pronoun. Danish, like English, uses a subject form for the person doing or being something in the sentence.

Here, hun is the one who was polite, so hun is correct.

Compare:

• Hun var høflig = She was polite
• Jeg så hende = I saw her

So hun = she, while hende = her.

Both instances of var are the past tense of være, meaning to be.

They are used in two different parts of the sentence:

• Hun var høflig = She was polite
• bussen var forsinket = the bus was delayed / the bus was late

So the sentence contains two separate past-time statements:

1. her state: was polite
2. the bus’s state: was delayed

This is completely normal in Danish.

Here høflig is a predicate adjective, meaning it comes after var and describes hun.

With predicate adjectives in Danish, the form depends on what is being described:

• common gender singular: høflig
• neuter singular: høfligt
• plural: høflige

Since hun refers to one person, you use the singular common form: høflig.

Examples:

• Hun er høflig = She is polite
• Det er høfligt = That is polite
• De er høflige = They are polite

Selv da means something like even when or even at the time when.

It adds a contrast: she remained polite under circumstances where you might expect the opposite.

So:

• Hun var høflig, selv da bussen var forsinket = She was polite, even when the bus was delayed

The idea is:

• the bus being delayed was an annoying situation
• despite that, she was still polite

This is a very common learner question.

In Danish:

• da is typically used for a specific time or situation in the past
• når is typically used for repeated events, general truths, or the future

Since this sentence is about a past situation, da fits well:

• selv da bussen var forsinket = even when the bus was delayed

Compare:

• Da bussen kom, gik vi ind = When the bus arrived, we got on
• Når bussen kommer, går vi ind = When the bus arrives, we’ll get on / Whenever the bus arrives, we get on

Yes, but the nuance is a little different.

• selv da = even when
• selvom = even though / although

So these are both possible, but they focus slightly differently:

• Hun var høflig, selv da bussen var forsinket
  This emphasizes the time/situation: even when the bus was delayed

• Hun var høflig, selvom bussen var forsinket
  This emphasizes the contrast: even though the bus was delayed

In many contexts, both sound natural.

Bussen means the bus, while en bus means a bus.

Danish usually adds the definite article to the end of the noun:

• en bus = a bus
• bussen = the bus

Here, bussen is definite because it refers to a specific bus that the speakers have in mind, not just any bus.

This is one of the biggest structural differences from English:

• English: the bus
• Danish: bussen

Because selv da bussen var forsinket is a subordinate clause.

Danish punctuation commonly uses a comma before subordinate clauses, especially in standard written Danish.

So the sentence is divided like this:

• main clause: Hun var høflig
• subordinate clause: selv da bussen var forsinket

That is why the comma is there.

Yes, but the meaning shifts slightly.

• bussen var forsinket = the bus was delayed / was late
  This describes the bus’s state or condition.

• bussen blev forsinket = the bus got delayed / became delayed
  This focuses more on the change or event itself.

In your sentence, var forsinket fits well because it describes the situation at that time.

Compare:

• Da vi kom, var bussen forsinket = When we arrived, the bus was delayed
• På grund af sneen blev bussen forsinket = Because of the snow, the bus got delayed

The word order is normal for a subordinate clause in Danish:

• da = conjunction
• bussen = subject
• var = verb
• forsinket = complement

So:

• da bussen var forsinket

A useful thing to know is that Danish main clauses and subordinate clauses often behave differently. In a simple subordinate clause like this one, the subject usually comes before the finite verb unless something else is placed first.

So this part is very straightforward and natural Danish.

A rough guide is HUF-lee or HUHF-lee, but the Danish ø sound does not exist naturally in English, so no English spelling is perfect.

A few pronunciation notes:

• ø is a rounded front vowel; you may need to practice it separately
• the final g in høflig is not pronounced like a hard English g
• the word sounds smoother and lighter than English speakers often expect

If you are learning pronunciation, ø is the main challenge here.

Yes, it is natural and idiomatic.

It sounds like standard written and spoken Danish and clearly expresses:

• a person’s behavior
• in a contrasting situation
• in the past

A Dane would understand it immediately. It is a good example of:

• past tense with var
• a predicate adjective
• a subordinate clause with da
• definite noun form bussen