Breakdown of Når vi er enige om planen, kan vi gå videre.
Questions & Answers about Når vi er enige om planen, kan vi gå videre.
Why does the sentence start with Når, and how is it different from Hvis?
Når usually means when in the sense of something expected, repeated, or seen as a normal point in time.
So Når vi er enige om planen means when we are in agreement about the plan.
A learner often compares it with hvis, which means if. The difference is:
- Når = when, assuming it happens
- Hvis = if, maybe it happens, maybe not
So:
- Når vi er enige om planen, kan vi gå videre.
= once/when we agree, we can move on - Hvis vi bliver enige om planen, kan vi gå videre.
= if we end up agreeing, we can move on
In real life, Danish sometimes uses når for future situations where English might use if, but the basic distinction above is a very good starting point.
Why is it vi er after Når and not some kind of inverted word order?
Because Når vi er enige om planen is a subordinate clause.
In Danish subordinate clauses, the word order is usually more straightforward:
- subject + verb
- vi er
So after Når, you get:
- Når vi er enige om planen
This is different from a main clause, where Danish often follows verb-second word order.
Why is there a comma after planen?
The comma separates the subordinate clause from the main clause:
- Når vi er enige om planen, = subordinate clause
- kan vi gå videre. = main clause
So the comma marks the boundary between:
- the condition/time clause
- the main statement
This is very normal in Danish.
Why is it enige and not enig?
Because the subject is vi = we, which is plural.
Enig changes form depending on number:
- jeg er enig = I agree
- du er enig = you agree
- vi er enige = we agree
- de er enige = they agree
So enige is the plural form.
This is a very common pattern with Danish adjectives used after to be.
Why do you say enige om planen? Why is om used here?
Because enig om is a common Danish pattern meaning in agreement about something.
- Vi er enige om planen.
= We agree on/about the plan.
The preposition is part of how Danish expresses this idea.
A useful comparison:
- enig om noget = agree about something together
- enig i noget = agree with something, often an opinion, statement, or point
For example:
- Vi er enige om planen.
= We are agreed on the plan. - Jeg er enig i det.
= I agree with that.
So in your sentence, om is the natural choice because the people are in agreement about the plan.
Why is it kan vi gå videre and not vi kan gå videre?
This is because Danish main clauses follow the verb-second rule.
The sentence begins with the subordinate clause:
- Når vi er enige om planen
That whole clause takes the first position in the sentence. After that, the finite verb in the main clause must come next:
- kan
So the order becomes:
- Når vi er enige om planen, kan vi gå videre.
Not:
- Når vi er enige om planen, vi kan gå videre. ❌
This inversion is very important in Danish.
Why is there no at before gå?
Because kan is a modal verb, and modal verbs are followed by the bare infinitive in Danish.
So you say:
- kan gå
- vil gå
- skal gå
- må gå
Not:
- kan at gå ❌
This is similar to English:
- can go
- not can to go
What exactly is gå videre?
Gå videre is a very common expression meaning:
- go on
- move on
- continue
- proceed
Literally, gå means go/walk, and videre means further/onward. But together they often function like a set expression.
So in this sentence, it does not necessarily mean physically walking anywhere. It more likely means:
- continue with the next step
- proceed with the process
Why is it planen and not just plan?
Planen is the definite form of plan:
- en plan = a plan
- planen = the plan
Danish usually adds the definite ending directly to the noun instead of using a separate word like the.
So:
- plan = plan
- planen = the plan
In this sentence, it is a specific plan that both speakers already know about, so the definite form is natural.
Could you also say Når vi bliver enige om planen?
Yes, and it changes the nuance slightly.
- Når vi er enige om planen = when we are in agreement about the plan
- Når vi bliver enige om planen = when we come to an agreement about the plan
So:
- er enige focuses on the state of agreement
- bliver enige focuses on the process of reaching agreement
Both are natural, but they are not identical.
Is this sentence talking about the present or the future?
It often refers to the future, even though the verb form looks like the present tense.
Danish commonly uses the present tense for future meaning when the context makes it clear:
- Når vi er enige om planen, kan vi gå videre.
This means something like:
- once we agree on the plan, we can move on
So grammatically it is present tense, but in meaning it often points to a future situation.
How would this sentence sound in more natural spoken Danish?
Very natural already. In everyday speech, the pronunciation may be more reduced than the spelling suggests.
For example:
- Når may sound a bit like nor
- er is often very weak in pronunciation
- enige is often smoothed out in fast speech
- videre is also often reduced in casual speech
But grammatically and stylistically, the sentence is completely normal and natural as written.
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