Jeg kan bedre følge med, når læreren taler langsomt.

Kan means can / am able to. In this sentence, it adds the idea of ability:

• Jeg følger med = I am following along / I keep up
• Jeg kan følge med = I can follow along / I am able to keep up

So kan makes the sentence about how well the speaker is able to understand or keep up when the teacher speaks slowly.

Because after a modal verb like kan, Danish normally uses the infinitive without at.

Common modal verbs include:

• kan = can
• vil = will / want to
• skal = must / will
• må = may / must
• bør = should

So:

• Jeg kan følge med = correct
• Jeg kan at følge med = incorrect

This is similar to English: we say I can follow, not I can to follow.

Bedre means better. Here it works as an adverb, describing how well the person can follow along.

So:

• Jeg kan følge med = I can follow along
• Jeg kan bedre følge med = I can follow along better

It compares one situation with another, even if the comparison is only implied. The idea is something like: I can follow along better when the teacher speaks slowly (than when the teacher speaks fast).

Because the sentence is expressing a comparison.

• godt = well
• bedre = better

Compare:

• Jeg kan godt følge med. = I can follow along well.
• Jeg kan bedre følge med, når læreren taler langsomt. = I can follow along better when the teacher speaks slowly.

So bedre is the comparative form.

Følge med is a very common Danish expression meaning:

• to follow along
• to keep up
• to understand what is going on as it happens

It is not just the literal follow with. It functions as a fixed expression.

Examples:

• Kan du følge med? = Can you follow?
• Jeg kan ikke følge med. = I can’t keep up / I can’t follow.
• Eleverne følger godt med i timen. = The students are following well in class.

In your sentence, it means the speaker can keep up better with what the teacher is saying.

Because følge med is a set verb expression. The med is part of the meaning, not just an optional extra word.

In Danish, some verbs combine with a small word like med, op, ud, på, etc., and together they create a meaning that is different from the basic verb alone.

• følge = follow
• følge med = follow along / keep up

So you should learn følge med as one unit.

Here når means when.

It introduces the time clause:

• når læreren taler langsomt = when the teacher speaks slowly

In many everyday sentences, når can mean either:

• when
• whenever

So this sentence can feel like either:

• I can follow better when the teacher speaks slowly or
• I can follow better whenever the teacher speaks slowly

This is a very common learner question.

A simple rule:

• når is usually used for something habitual, repeated, general, or in the future
• da is usually used for a specific event in the past

So:

• Jeg kan bedre følge med, når læreren taler langsomt.
  = a general truth / repeated situation

But:

• Jeg kunne bedre følge med, da læreren talte langsomt i går.
  = a specific past situation

That is why når is the natural choice here.

Læreren means the teacher.

In Danish, the definite article is often attached to the end of the noun:

• en lærer = a teacher
• læreren = the teacher

So læreren is the definite form.

This sentence is talking about a specific teacher, or at least the teacher in the situation being discussed.

Because after a subordinating conjunction like når, Danish uses subordinate clause word order.

Main clause:

• Læreren taler langsomt.

Subordinate clause:

• når læreren taler langsomt

In a normal main clause, Danish often follows the verb-second rule. But in subordinate clauses, the subject usually comes before the verb.

So:

• Læreren taler langsomt. = main clause
• ..., når læreren taler langsomt. = subordinate clause

Because langsomt is the adverb form of langsom.

• langsom = slow
• langsomt = slowly

Here it describes the verb taler:

• læreren taler langsomt = the teacher speaks slowly

This is similar to adjective/adverb differences in English:

• slow → slowly

A few Danish examples:

• hurtig → hurtigt = quickly
• rolig → roligt = calmly
• langsom → langsomt = slowly

Yes, that sounds natural too.

Danish adverb placement can be flexible, especially with words like bedre. Both of these are acceptable:

• Jeg kan bedre følge med
• Jeg kan følge bedre med

The first version is very natural and probably a bit more neutral in this sentence. The second is also common. As a learner, it is safest to remember the sentence as given, but you may hear both patterns.

In everyday speech, some words are pronounced more softly than their spelling suggests.

A rough guide:

• Jeg often sounds like yai / yəi depending on accent
• kan is often a light kan or reduced
• bedre sounds roughly like BEL-dra or beð-rə
• følge med has a soft g in følge
• læreren is often pronounced something like LEH-rən
• langsomt may sound like LANG-somt, though the ending can be light

A broad approximate pronunciation of the whole sentence might be:

yai kan BEL-dra FØL-ye með, nɔr LEH-rən TAY-lər LANG-somt

That is only approximate, but it can help you hear the rhythm.

Sometimes yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

• forstå = understand
• følge med = follow along / keep up

So:

• Jeg kan bedre forstå læreren, når han/hun taler langsomt.
  = I can understand the teacher better when he/she speaks slowly.

• Jeg kan bedre følge med, når læreren taler langsomt.
  = I can follow along better / keep up better when the teacher speaks slowly.

Følge med is a bit broader. It can include understanding, but also keeping up with the pace of speech or the lesson in general.

Primarily listening ability.

The speaker is saying that they can keep up better when the teacher speaks slowly. So the focus is on receiving and processing spoken Danish, not on speaking it themselves.

That is why følge med fits so well here: it describes being able to keep up with what you hear.