Jeg vil slå ordet op i ordbogen, hvis jeg ikke forstår betydningen.

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Breakdown of Jeg vil slå ordet op i ordbogen, hvis jeg ikke forstår betydningen.

• i: in
• ville: to want
• hvis: if

Questions & Answers about Jeg vil slå ordet op i ordbogen, hvis jeg ikke forstår betydningen.

Why is slå op split into slå ordet op?

Because slå op is a verb + particle expression in Danish. In this sentence, it means look up.

When there is an object, Danish often places that object between the verb and the particle:

slå ordet op = look the word up

So op belongs with slå, even though they are separated. This is very common in Danish.

Compare:

Jeg vil slå ordet op.
Jeg vil slå det op.

Both are natural. You should think of slå op as one vocabulary item, even if it gets split in the sentence.

What does vil mean here? Is it just the same as English will?

Here vil expresses intention or what the speaker plans to do. It can often be translated as English will, but it is not always used in exactly the same way.

In Danish, the present tense is also often used for future meaning, so vil is not the only way to talk about the future. In this sentence, vil gives the sense of:

If that happens, I will / I intend to do this.

So jeg vil slå ordet op sounds like a decision or willingness to do it.

Why are the nouns written as ordet, ordbogen, and betydningen?