Jeg er overhovedet ikke sikker på svaret, men hun virker åbenbart mere selvsikker end jeg er.

Overhovedet ikke is a strong way to say not at all or absolutely not.

So Jeg er overhovedet ikke sikker means I am not at all sure.

A learner should think of overhovedet here as an intensifier used with a negative. It makes the statement stronger than just Jeg er ikke sikker.

Because overhovedet adds emphasis.

Compare:

• Jeg er ikke sikker = I am not sure
• Jeg er overhovedet ikke sikker = I am not at all sure

In Danish, overhovedet often appears with negatives, especially in everyday speech and writing, to strengthen them.

The adjective sikker often takes the preposition på when it means sure/certain about something.

So:

• at være sikker på noget = to be sure about something

Examples:

• Jeg er sikker på det. = I am sure about that.
• Er du sikker på svaret? = Are you sure about the answer?

This is just a normal Danish pattern that has to be learned together with the adjective.

Svaret is the definite form, meaning the answer.

• et svar = an answer
• svaret = the answer

Since the sentence refers to a specific answer, Danish uses the definite form: på svaret.

They are related, but they do not mean the same thing.

• sikker = sure / certain
• selvsikker = self-confident / confident

So in this sentence:

• ikke sikker på svaret = not sure about the answer
• mere selvsikker = more self-confident

Even though English has sure and self-assured/confident, Danish uses two clearly different words here.

Virker here means seems or appears.

• hun virker åbenbart mere selvsikker = she apparently seems more self-confident

The verb virke can mean different things depending on context:

• to work / function
• to seem / appear

Here it is clearly the second meaning.

Because virke can function like seem in English and be followed directly by an adjective.

So:

• Hun virker selvsikker. = She seems self-confident.

You do not need another verb like to be after it. This is similar to English She seems confident, not She seems to be confident in the basic version.

Åbenbart usually means apparently, evidently, or obviously, depending on context.

In this sentence, apparently is probably the best match:

• hun virker åbenbart mere selvsikker = she apparently seems more self-confident

It suggests that, from what the speaker can tell, that is how she comes across.

This is normal Danish word order.

In a main clause, Danish usually has verb second. After the verb, sentence adverbs such as åbenbart often come before the rest of the description.

So:

• hun = subject
• virker = finite verb
• åbenbart = adverb
• mere selvsikker = adjective phrase

This placement is very typical in Danish main clauses.

Because many Danish adjectives form the comparative with mere = more.

So:

• selvsikker = self-confident
• mere selvsikker = more self-confident

This is similar to English, where we also say more self-confident, not self-confidenter.

End means than in comparisons.

So:

• mere selvsikker end jeg er = more self-confident than I am

This is the standard word used after comparatives in Danish.

Because the full comparison is really:

• ... mere selvsikker end jeg er [selvsikker]

The adjective at the end is left out because it is already understood.

Using end jeg er is very natural and often feels clearer in this kind of sentence. It is similar to English than I am.

In everyday speech, some shorter comparison patterns may occur in Danish, but here end jeg er is completely standard and elegant.

It is repeated because the comparison is between she is self-confident and I am self-confident.

The full underlying idea is:

• hun virker mere selvsikker, end jeg er
• literally, she seems more self-confident than I am

The final er keeps the comparison grammatically complete, even though the adjective selvsikker is omitted after it.

Men means but.

It links the two contrasting ideas:

• I am not at all sure about the answer
• but she apparently seems more self-confident than I am

So men marks a contrast between the speaker’s uncertainty and the other person’s confidence.

Not really. This is a common difficulty for English speakers.

Jeg is often pronounced much more like yai or yai/ya depending on the speaker and region, not as a fully clear yeg. In fast speech, jeg er may sound quite reduced.

So even if the spelling looks straightforward, the spoken form can be less obvious. This is very normal in Danish.

Yes, but one of its most common uses is with a negative.

For example:

• Det giver overhovedet ingen mening. = That makes absolutely no sense.
• Har du overhovedet læst bogen? = Have you even read the book at all?

So overhovedet often adds force, especially in negative statements and pointed questions. In your sentence, that is exactly what it is doing.