Efter lærerens forklaring bliver vi enige om svaret.

After the teacher’s explanation, we agree on the answer.

Breakdown of Efter lærerens forklaring bliver vi enige om svaret.

• vi: we
• efter: after
• lærerens: teacher's
• svaret: the answer

Questions & Answers about Efter lærerens forklaring bliver vi enige om svaret.

Why is the word order bliver vi and not vi bliver?

Because Danish is a V2 language in main clauses. That means the finite verb usually comes in the second position.

Here, the sentence begins with the time phrase Efter lærerens forklaring (After the teacher’s explanation). Since that whole phrase takes the first position, the verb must come next:

• Efter lærerens forklaring = position 1
• bliver = position 2
• vi = subject after the verb

So:

• Vi bliver enige om svaret. = neutral word order
• Efter lærerens forklaring bliver vi enige om svaret. = same idea, but with the time phrase moved to the front

This is very common in Danish.

What does lærerens mean, and why does it end in -ens?

Lærerens means the teacher’s.

The ending -s is the normal Danish possessive ending, like English ’s.
Here the noun is læreren (the teacher), and then -s is added:

• lærer = teacher
• læreren = the teacher
• lærerens = the teacher’s

So:

• lærerens forklaring = the teacher’s explanation

Danish often forms possession this way, even when the noun already has the definite ending.