Klokken syv på caféen? Det er en aftale.

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Breakdown of Klokken syv på caféen? Det er en aftale.

• caféen: the café
• klokken: the time (on the clock)
• syv: seven

Questions & Answers about Klokken syv på caféen? Det er en aftale.

Why is there no verb in Klokken syv på caféen?

This is a very common kind of elliptical sentence in Danish, especially in speech. It leaves out words that are understood from context.

Klokken syv på caféen? is short for something like:

• Skal vi mødes klokken syv på caféen?
• Hvad med klokken syv på caféen?

In English, we do the same thing:

• Seven o’clock at the café?

So even though it is not a full sentence grammatically, it sounds completely natural as a suggestion or a quick confirmation.

What does klokken syv literally mean, and why is klokken there?

Klokken syv literally means the clock seven, but in actual usage it means at seven o’clock or seven o’clock.

In Danish, klokken is often used when talking about the time:

• Klokken er syv. = It is seven o’clock.
• Vi ses klokken syv. = We’ll meet at seven.

So in your sentence, klokken syv is the normal way to say at seven o’clock.

Native speakers may also say kl. syv in writing, where kl. is an abbreviation of klokken.

Can you just say syv instead of klokken syv?