Questions & Answers about Selvom hun er dygtig, er hun ikke særlig selvsikker, når hun skal tale foran mange mennesker.
Why is it er hun after the comma, and not hun er?
Because Danish main clauses normally follow the V2 rule: the finite verb comes in the second position.
Here, the whole clause Selvom hun er dygtig comes first. That first clause counts as position 1, so the finite verb of the main clause must come next:
- Selvom hun er dygtig, er hun ikke særlig selvsikker ...
If you said Selvom hun er dygtig, hun er ikke ..., that would sound ungrammatical in standard Danish.
How does selvom work in this sentence?
Selvom means although / even though. It introduces a subordinate clause that gives a contrast.
So:
- Selvom hun er dygtig = Although she is skilled / good at it
It sets up a contrast with the main clause:
- she is good at it
- but she is not very confident
So selvom is a very common way to say although at the beginning of a sentence.
What exactly does dygtig mean here?
Dygtig is a very useful Danish word, but it does not always match one single English word perfectly.
Here it means something like:
- skilled
- capable
- good at what she does
- sometimes competent
Depending on context, dygtig can also mean clever or hard-working, but in this sentence the most natural idea is that she is good/competent, even though she is not confident.
Why does the sentence say ikke særlig selvsikker? What does særlig do here?
In negative expressions, ikke særlig means not very.
So:
- ikke særlig selvsikker = not very confident
This is a very common Danish pattern:
- ikke særlig god = not very good
- ikke særlig stor = not very big
- ikke særlig nem = not very easy
So here særlig does not mean special. In this structure, it works more like very / particularly in English.
What is the difference between selvsikker and sikker?
They are related, but they do not mean the same thing.
- selvsikker = self-confident / self-assured
- sikker = sure / certain / safe / secure, depending on context
Examples:
- Hun er selvsikker. = She is confident.
- Jeg er sikker. = I am sure.
- Det er sikkert. = It is certain / safe.
So in this sentence, selvsikker is specifically about confidence in oneself.
Why is it når and not hvis?
Because når means when, while hvis means if.
In this sentence, når hun skal tale foran mange mennesker refers to a situation that happens or is expected to happen:
- when she has to speak in front of many people
If you used hvis, it would sound more hypothetical:
- if she has to speak in front of many people
So når is the better choice when talking about a real or recurring situation.
Why does it say skal tale instead of just taler?
Skal tale means has to speak / is going to speak / must speak, depending on context.
Here it suggests obligation or necessity:
- når hun skal tale foran mange mennesker = when she has to speak in front of many people
If you said:
- når hun taler foran mange mennesker
that would mean more simply:
- when she speaks in front of many people
Both are possible Danish, but they are slightly different:
- skal tale focuses on the situation where she is required to do it
- taler focuses on the act itself
What does foran mange mennesker mean exactly?
It means in front of many people or before a lot of people.
- foran = in front of / before
- mange mennesker = many people
In this context, it refers to speaking to an audience or group. So it is not only about physical position; it also has the sense of speaking publicly.
Why is there no article before mange mennesker?
Because Danish does not use an article here.
Mange already works as a determiner:
- mange mennesker = many people
That is similar to English, where you also do not say the many people unless you mean something more specific.
So:
- mange mennesker = many people
- not de mange mennesker unless you specifically mean the many people
Why is the word order normal in selvom hun er dygtig and når hun skal tale, but inverted in the main clause?
Because subordinate clauses and main clauses behave differently in Danish.
After conjunctions like selvom and når, Danish usually keeps the subject before the verb:
- selvom hun er dygtig
- når hun skal tale
But in a main clause, Danish follows the V2 rule, so the finite verb must be second. Since the sentence begins with the subordinate clause, the main clause becomes:
- er hun ikke særlig selvsikker
So the contrast is:
- subordinate clause: hun er, hun skal
- main clause after fronting: er hun
Why are there commas in this sentence?
The commas mark clause boundaries.
- Selvom hun er dygtig, marks the end of the opening subordinate clause.
- ..., når hun skal tale foran mange mennesker introduces another subordinate clause.
One useful thing to know is that Danish comma usage can vary depending on whether someone uses start comma or not. In modern Danish, both systems are accepted if used consistently.
In this sentence:
- the comma after dygtig is expected because the opening clause ends there
- the comma before når reflects a style that uses start comma
So the punctuation is completely natural Danish.
Could I also say Selvom hun er dygtig, er hun ikke selvsikker nok?
Yes, that would be grammatical, but the meaning changes slightly.
- ikke særlig selvsikker = not very confident
- ikke selvsikker nok = not confident enough
So:
- ikke særlig selvsikker describes her confidence level in general
- ikke selvsikker nok suggests her confidence is insufficient for some purpose or situation
The original sentence is more neutral and descriptive.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning DanishMaster Danish — from Selvom hun er dygtig, er hun ikke særlig selvsikker, når hun skal tale foran mange mennesker to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions