Buying a train ticket | Learn Danish in English

About This Lesson

Use Buying a train ticket to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Har du allerede en togbillet?

hah doo AL-uh-ray-thuh uhn TOHG-bih-led? Do you already have a train ticket?

Ikke endnu. Jeg skal købe en.

IK-uh en-OO. YAI skal KUR-buh uhn. Not yet. I need to buy one.

Der er billetautomater ved indgangen.

dair air bih-LED-ow-toh-MAH-duh vehth ENG-gahng-uhn. There are ticket machines by the entrance.

Jeg køber min der.

YAI KUR-uh men dair. I'll get mine there.

Jeg har min billet på min telefon.

YAI hah men bih-LED poh men teh-leh-FOHN. I have my ticket on my phone.

Så møder jeg dig her igen, når jeg har købt min.

soh MUR-uh YAI dai hair ee-GAYN, nor YAI hah KURBD men. Then I'll meet you back here after I buy mine.

Jeg venter i nærheden af automaterne.

YAI VEN-tuh ee NAIR-hay-thun af ow-toh-MAH-duh-nuh. I'll wait near the machines.

Se efter mig ved siden af dem.

SAY EF-tuh mai vehth SEE-thun af dem. Look for me beside them.

Word by Word

Har “Har” means “have” here and begins the question “Har du allerede en togbillet?” It is useful in questions about whether someone has something, such as “Har du ...?”

du “du” means “you”, the person being asked the question. It is used as the subject in “Har du allerede en togbillet?” and can follow a question word order such as “Har du ...?”

allerede “allerede” means “already” and asks whether the ticket is available by now. In “Har du allerede en togbillet?”, it is placed with the question about having the ticket; use it to refer to something that may have happened or become true by a certain time.

en “en” means “a” in “en togbillet” and introduces one ticket. A reusable pattern is “en” followed by a singular noun, as in the dialogue’s “en togbillet”.

togbillet “togbillet” means “train ticket”, the ticket needed for the journey. It appears after “en” in “en togbillet”; use this word when talking about a ticket for a train.

Ikke “Ikke” marks negation in “Ikke endnu”, meaning that the ticket has not been obtained at this point. It is commonly placed before the word or phrase being negated, as in “Ikke endnu”.

endnu “endnu” means “yet” in “Ikke endnu”, referring to the time up to now. Together with “Ikke”, it is useful for saying that something has not happened or is not true yet.

Jeg “Jeg” means “I”, the speaker referring to themself. It begins statements such as “Jeg skal købe en” and “Jeg har min billet på min telefon.”

skal “skal” expresses the need or intention to do something in “Jeg skal købe en”. It is followed here by the infinitive “købe”; a reusable pattern is “Jeg skal” plus an action.

købe “købe” means “buy” in “Jeg skal købe en”. It follows “skal” and names the action the speaker needs to carry out; use “købe” with the thing being bought.

Der “Der” is the marker in “Der er billetautomater ved indgangen”, which introduces the presence of ticket machines. A reusable pattern is “Der er” followed by the thing that is present.

er “er” states that something is present in the construction “Der er billetautomater ved indgangen”. It is used after “Der” in the reusable pattern “Der er” plus a noun or noun phrase.

billetautomater “billetautomater” means “ticket machines”, the machines where a ticket can be bought. In “Der er billetautomater ved indgangen”, it names what is available at the entrance; use it when identifying ticket-buying machines.

ved “ved” means “by” or “at” in “ved indgangen”, locating the ticket machines next to the entrance. Use “ved” before a place when describing where something is situated.

indgangen “indgangen” means “the entrance” in “ved indgangen”. With “ved”, it gives the location by which the ticket machines are found; use “ved indgangen” to identify a meeting or object location.

køber “køber” describes the speaker buying the ticket in “Jeg køber min der.” It is used with the thing being bought, here “min”, and can be followed by a place such as “der”.

min “min” means “my” or, in “Jeg køber min der”, “mine”, referring to the speaker’s ticket. It also appears before the noun in “min billet”; use it to identify something belonging to the speaker.

billet “billet” means “ticket” in “min billet”, the ticket the speaker already has on the phone. It can be used after a possessive such as “min” when referring to a particular ticket.

på “på” means “on” in “på min telefon”, describing where the ticket is available. Use “på” with a device or surface when saying that something is on it.

telefon “telefon” means “phone” in “min telefon”. In “på min telefon”, it identifies the device containing or displaying the ticket; use it when referring to a phone.

Så “Så” means “then” and introduces the speaker’s next step in “Så møder jeg dig her igen”. It is useful at the beginning of a statement when one action follows from what was just said.

møder “møder” means “meet” in “Så møder jeg dig her igen”. It is used with the person being met, here “dig”; a reusable pattern is “møder” plus a person and, if needed, a place.

dig “dig” means “you” as the person the speaker will meet in “møder jeg dig”. It identifies the person receiving the action; use it after a verb such as “møder” when addressing the person being met.

her “her” means “here”, referring to the current meeting place in “her igen”. It can identify the place where someone should return or meet, as in “møder jeg dig her igen”.

igen “igen” means “again” and shows that the meeting will take place here another time in “her igen”. Use it with an action or place when something is repeated or resumed.

når “når” means “when” and introduces the time clause “når jeg har købt min”. It is useful for linking one action to the time at which another action is completed.

købt “købt” is the form used with “har” in “har købt min” for the completed purchase of the ticket. A reusable pattern is “har købt” followed by the thing bought, such as “har købt min” in the dialogue.

venter “venter” means “wait” in “Jeg venter i nærheden af automaterne”. It describes staying until someone or something is ready; use it with a location to say where you will wait.

i nærheden af “i nærheden af” means “near”. In this expression, “i” means “in”, “nærheden” means “the vicinity”, and “af” completes the relation to the place or thing; together they describe being close to something, as in “i nærheden af automaterne”.

automaterne “automaterne” means “the machines” and refers back to the ticket machines in the dialogue. In “i nærheden af automaterne”, it identifies the machines used as the waiting point.

Se efter “Se efter” means “look for” in the instruction “Se efter mig”. “Se” directs the listener to look, while “efter” makes the looking a search for someone or something; use “Se efter” followed by the person or thing being sought.

mig “mig” means “me”, the person the listener should find in “Se efter mig”. It follows “Se efter” to identify who is being looked for; use the same pattern when asking someone to look for you.

ved siden af “ved siden af” means “beside” or “next to”. Here, “ved” locates something, “siden” contributes the idea of a side, and “af” completes the relation in “ved siden af dem”; use it before a person or thing to describe its adjacent position.

dem “dem” means “them” and refers to the machines in “ved siden af dem”. It identifies the things beside which the speaker will be found; use “ved siden af” followed by “dem” when referring back to several things.

Grammar Points

har + participium

har allerede købt

hah AL-uh-ray-thuh KURBD

have already bought

Danish uses har plus the past participle to form the present perfect.

ikke ... endnu

har ikke købt endnu

hah IK-uh KURBD en-OO

have not bought yet

ikke comes after har, while endnu usually comes at the end to mean “yet”.

Danish Vocabulary

allerede adv

AL-uh-ray-thuh already

billetautomat noun

bih-LED-ow-toh-MAHD ticket machine billetautomater

Gender: common

endnu adv

en-OO yet

have verb

hah to have har

ikke adv

IK-uh not

indgang noun

ENG-gahng entrance indgangen

Gender: common

købe verb

KUR-buh to buy

min pron

men my one; mine

på prep

poh on

telefon noun

teh-leh-FOHN phone

Gender: common

togbillet noun

TOHG-bih-led train ticket

Gender: common

ved prep

vehth by; at

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Do you already have a train ticket?

Show Answer

Har du allerede en togbillet?

Not yet. I need to buy one.

Show Answer

Ikke endnu. Jeg skal købe en.

There are ticket machines by the entrance.

Show Answer

Der er billetautomater ved indgangen.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

already

Show Answer

allerede

entrance

Show Answer

indgangen

yet

Show Answer

endnu

to buy

Show Answer

købe