Hvis der mangler et mellemrum efter et komma, ser teksten hurtigt rodet ud.

Hvis means if. It introduces a conditional clause: a clause that gives the condition for something else to happen.

So the structure is:

• Hvis der mangler et mellemrum efter et komma = If a space is missing after a comma
• ser teksten hurtigt rodet ud = the text quickly looks messy

This is very similar to English if.

Here, der is not the adverb there referring to a place. It is a grammatical dummy subject, much like English there in sentences such as:

• There is a problem
• There is a word missing

So:

• der mangler et mellemrum literally means something like there is a space missing
• more natural English: a space is missing

This use of der is very common in Danish when introducing the existence or absence of something.

Mangler is the present tense of mangle, which means to be missing or to lack.

In this sentence, it means that something is absent:

• et mellemrum mangler = a space is missing
• der mangler et mellemrum = there is a space missing

The -r ending is the normal present-tense ending in Danish for most verbs.

Because both nouns are neuter nouns in Danish.

Danish nouns are mainly divided into two genders:

• common gender → usually takes en
• neuter gender → takes et

So:

• et mellemrum = a space
• et komma = a comma

This is something you usually have to learn together with each noun.

Teksten is the definite form of tekst.

• tekst = text / a text
• teksten = the text

Danish often makes nouns definite by adding the definite ending directly to the noun, instead of using a separate word like English the.

So here teksten means the text, referring to the text being discussed.

This is because Danish follows the V2 rule in main clauses: the finite verb normally comes in the second position.

The first part of the sentence is the Hvis clause:

• Hvis der mangler et mellemrum efter et komma

When that whole clause comes first, it counts as position 1. So in the main clause, the verb must come next:

• ser = position 2
• teksten = after the verb

That is why you get:

• Hvis ..., ser teksten ...

and not:

• Hvis ..., teksten ser ...

This is one of the most important word-order patterns in Danish.

Se ud is a very common Danish expression meaning to look or to appear.

So:

• teksten ser rodet ud = the text looks messy

The word ud is part of the expression, even though in English we do not translate it directly every time.

You can think of it as a kind of fixed verbal phrase:

• se ud = look / appear
• ser godt ud = looks good
• ser mærkeligt ud = looks strange
• ser rodet ud = looks messy

Because hurtigt is being used as an adverb, not as an adjective describing a noun.

• hurtig = quick / fast (adjective)
• hurtigt = quickly (adverb)

Here it modifies the whole idea of looking messy:

• ser hurtigt rodet ud = quickly looks messy

A common Danish pattern is that an adjective takes -t when it is used adverbially.

Yes, rodet is an adjective meaning messy, untidy, or disorganized.

Its form can be confusing because it already ends in -et, but here that is simply part of the normal adjective form. It is not just a regular neuter ending added to some shorter base.

So:

• en rodet tekst = a messy text
• teksten ser rodet ud = the text looks messy

In the plural, you would usually get:

• rodede = messy
• teksterne ser rodede ud = the texts look messy

So the sentence’s rodet is perfectly normal.

Because in standard Danish, a subordinate clause is normally separated from the main clause by a comma.

So:

• Hvis der mangler et mellemrum efter et komma, ser teksten hurtigt rodet ud.

The part starting with Hvis is the subordinate clause, and the comma marks the boundary before the main clause begins.

It is a standard punctuation rule in Danish. Ironically, this sentence is itself talking about punctuation and spacing, while also showing correct clause punctuation.