Min søster har det med at komme punktligt, selv når bussen er forsinket.

In Danish, a possessive word like min usually takes the place of the article. So:

• min søster = my sister
• not min søsteren

Using both would be like saying my the sister in English.

There is also another possible structure, søsteren min, but that is a different pattern and can sound more colloquial or slightly emphatic.

Because søster is a common-gender singular noun.

Danish possessives change like this:

• min
  • common gender singular
• mit
  • neuter singular
• mine
  • plural

So:

• min søster = my sister
• mit hus = my house
• mine søstre = my sisters

Har det med at is a common expression meaning:

• tends to
• has a habit of
• is prone to

So Min søster har det med at komme punktligt means that being punctual is something she typically does.

It often describes a repeated tendency, not just one single event.

Here, det does not refer to any specific thing. It is just part of the fixed expression have det med at.

So you should learn it as a whole chunk:

• have det med at + infinitive

Examples:

• Han har det med at glemme sine nøgler.
• Jeg har det med at stå tidligt op.

You generally cannot just remove det and keep the same meaning.

Because after at, Danish normally uses the infinitive form of the verb.

So:

• at komme = to come
• not at kommer

Compare:

• Hun kommer = she comes / she is coming
• Hun har det med at komme = she tends to come

This is similar to English to come, not to comes.

Because punktligt is being used adverbially here, and many Danish adverbs are formed from the adjective’s neuter form.

• adjective: punktlig = punctual
• adverb: punktligt = punctually

So:

• en punktlig person = a punctual person
• hun kommer punktligt = she arrives punctually

This -t pattern is very common in Danish.

Yes, it is grammatical and understandable, but it can sound a bit formal or written.

In everyday Danish, many speakers would more naturally say:

• komme til tiden = arrive on time

So these are close in meaning:

• komme punktligt
• komme til tiden

The first emphasizes punctuality as a trait; the second is often the more everyday way to say someone arrives on time.

Selv når means even when.

It introduces a situation that would normally make the main action harder or less likely. In this sentence, the surprising thing is that the sister still arrives punctually even when the bus is delayed.

So the logic is:

• normal expectation: if the bus is delayed, people may be late
• actual result: she still tends to be punctual

They are similar, but not identical.

• selv når = even when
• selvom = even though / although

In this sentence, selv når works well because it refers to a repeated type of situation: whenever that situation happens, the result is still the same.

• selv når bussen er forsinket = even when the bus is delayed

If you said selvom bussen er forsinket, that would also be understandable, but it can sound a bit more like a straightforward concession about a fact, rather than a recurring situation.

Because after a subordinating conjunction like når, Danish uses subordinate clause word order, not main-clause word order.

Main clause:

• Bussen er forsinket.

Subordinate clause:

• når bussen er forsinket

In other words, after når, the subject bussen comes before the verb er.

This is one of the big patterns English speakers need to notice in Danish: main clauses often have verb-second order, but subordinate clauses do not.

Because the sentence describes a general habit or tendency, not a one-time event.

• har det med at komme = tends to come / has a habit of coming
• når bussen er forsinket = when the bus is delayed

This present tense is used for things that are generally true or regularly happen.

So the sentence is not about one particular day. It is about what the sister is like in general.

Bussen means the bus, while en bus means a bus.

Here, bussen is definite because it refers to the relevant bus in the situation — the one she would normally take. Danish often uses the definite form when the listener can identify what is meant from context.

So:

• en bus = a bus, any bus
• bussen = the bus, the specific one being talked about