Jeg tager de nye, hvis de gamle ikke virker.

In Danish, an adjective can stand on its own when the noun is understood from context.

• de nye = the new ones
• de gamle = the old ones

This works much like English the rich, the poor, or the old ones. The missing noun might be something like batterier, sko, briller, etc., but Danish often leaves it out if it is obvious.

Because de is the subject form, while dem is the object form in standard written Danish.

In this sentence:

• de gamle is the subject of virker
• de nye is the understood object of tager

But after tage, Danish still uses de nye here because it is a fixed noun phrase meaning the new ones, not the object pronoun them.

Compare:

• Jeg tager dem. = I take them.
• Jeg tager de nye. = I take the new ones.

So de here is not a pronoun by itself; it is part of the noun phrase de nye.

Because after de, adjectives normally take the -e ending.

So:

• en ny bog = a new book
• det nye hus = the new house
• de nye bøger = the new books

And similarly:

• en gammel bil = an old car
• de gamle biler = the old cars

In your sentence, de nye and de gamle are plural/definite-style adjective phrases, so the -e form is used.

Because tager is the present tense form of the verb at tage.

• infinitive: at tage = to take
• present tense: tager = take / am taking

So:

• Jeg tager = I take / I’m taking
• Jeg tog = I took
• Jeg har taget = I have taken

Danish verbs do not change for different persons, so you also get:

• du tager
• han tager
• vi tager

Virker is the present tense of at virke, which often means to work or to function.

In this sentence:

• hvis de gamle ikke virker = if the old ones don’t work

This is very common for things like machines, batteries, electronics, tools, glasses, medicine, and so on.

Depending on context, virke can also mean:

• seem
• have an effect
• operate/function

But here work/function is the natural meaning.

In a subordinate clause introduced by hvis (if), Danish normally places sentence adverbs like ikke before the finite verb.

So:

• main clause: De gamle virker ikke. = The old ones don’t work.
• subordinate clause: hvis de gamle ikke virker = if the old ones don’t work

This is a very important Danish word-order pattern.

Compare:

• Han kommer ikke. = main clause
• ... fordi han ikke kommer. = subordinate clause

So the placement of ikke is completely normal here.

Because hvis introduces a subordinate clause, and subordinate clauses in Danish have different word order from main clauses.

Main clause pattern:

• subject + verb + sentence adverb
• De gamle virker ikke.

Subordinate clause pattern:

• subject + sentence adverb + verb
• hvis de gamle ikke virker

This is one of the biggest differences English speakers notice, because English usually keeps the same order:

• if the old ones don’t work

In Danish, the clause after hvis, fordi, at, når, etc. often shows this subordinate word order.

Usually, yes. In sentences like this, hvis means if and introduces a condition.

• Jeg tager de nye, hvis de gamle ikke virker.
• I’ll take the new ones if the old ones don’t work.

Do not confuse it with om, which can also sometimes translate as if, but usually in the sense of whether:

• Jeg ved ikke, om de virker. = I don’t know whether they work.

A useful shortcut:

• hvis = conditional if
• om = whether / if

Because Danish spelling traditionally uses a comma before subordinate clauses, including clauses introduced by hvis.

So:

• Jeg tager de nye, hvis de gamle ikke virker.

This comma is very normal in written Danish.

You may also see comma rules discussed as grammatical comma or pause comma, but in learner materials, putting a comma before hvis is a safe and standard choice.

Yes, it can, depending on context.

• de gamle can mean the old ones
• it can also mean the old people / the elderly
• in some contexts it can even mean the parents or the old folks

But in your sentence, because of virker (work/function), it almost certainly refers to things, not people.

So context decides the meaning.

It can feel a bit broader than English take, depending on context.

Jeg tager de nye could mean:

• I’ll take the new ones
• I’ll choose the new ones
• I’ll use the new ones
• I’ll get the new ones instead

The exact nuance depends on what the ones are. Danish tage is very common and flexible, just like English take in many situations.

Yes, absolutely. That is also correct.

• Jeg tager de nye, hvis de gamle ikke virker.
• Hvis de gamle ikke virker, tager jeg de nye.

When the hvis clause comes first, the main clause follows normal Danish inversion rules:

• ..., tager jeg de nye
• not ..., jeg tager de nye

So the verb comes before the subject in the main clause after the initial subordinate clause.

Yes, nye can look tricky. It is roughly pronounced like NYE-uh or ny-eh, though exact pronunciation depends on accent and speed.

A simple learner-friendly breakdown:

• ny = something like new without the w
• nye = the ny form plus a light extra vowel

Also:

• gamle is roughly GAM-lə
• virker is roughly VEER-kər
• tager is often closer to TA-ər in everyday speech

Listening to native audio is especially helpful with words like nye, because spelling and sound do not always match neatly in Danish.

Yes. Danish often uses the present tense for future meaning when the context makes it clear.

So:

• Jeg tager de nye, hvis de gamle ikke virker.

is literally present tense, but in English it may naturally be translated as:

• I’ll take the new ones if the old ones don’t work.

This is very common in Danish. You do not always need a special future form.

Yes, depending on context.

For example:

• with medicine: ikke virker = doesn’t work / isn’t effective
• with glasses: don’t work well
• with electronics: don’t function
• with a plan or method: doesn’t work

So virke is broader than just mechanical functioning. The context tells you what kind of working is meant.