Understanding a lesson question | Learn Danish in English

About This Lesson

Use Understanding a lesson question to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Jeg forstår ikke denne del af lektionen.

yai foh-STAW EH-guh DEN-uh dehl uh lek-SYOHN-un. I don't understand this part of the lesson.

Hvilket spørgsmål har du problemer med?

VIL-guh SPUR-smohl hahv doo proh-BLAY-muh meh? Which question is giving you trouble?

Svaret her giver ikke mening for mig.

SVAH-uhth hair KEE-vuh EH-guh MAY-ning foh my. The answer here doesn't make sense to me.

Lad os læse sætningen først.

lahd ohs LEH-suh SED-ning-un furst. Let's read the sentence first.

Så tjekker du svaret.

soh CHEK-uh doo SVAH-uhth. Then check the answer.

Kan du læse sætningen højt?

kan doo LEH-suh SED-ning-un HOYTH? Can you read the sentence aloud?

Jeg læser den langsomt.

yai LEH-sur den LANG-somth. I'll read it slowly.

Jeg skriver nøgleordene i min notesbog.

yai SGREE-vuh NUH-luh-OR-dnuh ee meen NOHTS-boh. I'll write the key words in my notebook.

Så prøver vi svaret igen.

soh PRUH-vuh vee SVAH-uhth ee-GAIN. Then let's try the answer again.

Word by Word

Jeg ‘Jeg’ means ‘I’ and is the person speaking in ‘Jeg forstår ikke denne del af lektionen.’ It is used as the subject before an action or state. Use it when talking about yourself in a lesson or another conversation.

forstår ‘forstår’ means ‘understand’ here, in the statement ‘Jeg forstår ikke’. The citation form is forstå; forstår is the form used with Jeg in this dialogue. Use ‘Jeg forstår ikke’ when saying that something is not clear to you.

ikke ‘ikke’ means ‘not’ and makes ‘Jeg forstår’ negative in ‘Jeg forstår ikke’. It follows the verb in this sentence. Use it after a verb when denying or negating what is happening.

denne ‘denne’ means ‘this’ and points to the specific part mentioned in ‘denne del’. It comes before the noun it identifies. Use ‘denne’ before a noun when referring to one particular thing nearby or under discussion.

del ‘del’ means ‘part’ in ‘denne del af lektionen’, referring to one section of the lesson. It is followed here by ‘af lektionen’ to show the larger whole it belongs to. Use it when describing one section of a lesson, text, task, or other whole.

af ‘af’ means ‘of’ in ‘del af lektionen’ and links the part to the lesson it belongs to. A reusable pattern is a noun followed by ‘af’ and another noun. Use it when identifying a part of a larger thing.

lektionen ‘lektionen’ means ‘the lesson’ and refers to the specific lesson in ‘af lektionen’. The citation form is lektion; lektionen is the form used for this specific lesson. Use it when referring to the lesson being studied.

Hvilket ‘Hvilket’ means ‘which’ in ‘Hvilket spørgsmål’ and asks the learner to identify one question. It comes before the noun it refers to. Use ‘Hvilket’ before a noun when asking someone to choose or identify a particular item.

spørgsmål ‘spørgsmål’ means ‘question’ in ‘Hvilket spørgsmål’. It names the lesson question that is causing difficulty. Use it with ‘Hvilket’ when asking which question someone means or needs help with.

har ‘har’ means ‘have’ in ‘har du problemer med?’ and presents the learner as having or experiencing a difficulty. The citation form is have; har is the form used here. In ‘har du’, it comes before the person being asked. Use it when asking what difficulty someone has.

du ‘du’ means ‘you’ and refers to the person being addressed in ‘har du problemer med?’. It is the person who has the problem. Use it as the subject when speaking directly to one person.

problemer ‘problemer’ means ‘problems’ or ‘trouble’ in ‘har du problemer med?’. The citation form is problem; problemer is the form used for the difficulties being discussed. Use ‘problemer med’ when describing difficulty with a subject, task, or activity.

med ‘med’ means ‘with’ in ‘problemer med’ and connects the trouble to what it concerns. It is followed by the thing or activity that causes difficulty. Use it when saying that someone has problems with something.

Svaret ‘Svaret’ means ‘the answer’ in ‘Svaret her’ and refers to the specific answer under discussion. The citation form is svar; Svaret is the form used for this particular answer. Use it when pointing to or discussing an answer in an exercise.

her ‘her’ means ‘here’ in ‘Svaret her’ and points to the answer currently being considered. It adds a location or focus to the noun before it. Use it when directing attention to something present or visible.

giver ‘giver’ contributes the meaning ‘gives’ in ‘giver ikke mening’; the whole expression says that the answer does not make sense. The citation form is give; giver is the form used here. Use a verb meaning ‘give’ with ‘mening’ when evaluating whether something makes sense.

mening ‘mening’ means ‘sense’ or ‘meaning’ in ‘giver ikke mening’. Together with giver, it expresses whether the answer is understandable or logical. Use it in this expression when explaining that something makes or does not make sense.

for ‘for’ means ‘for’ in ‘for mig’ and marks the speaker’s personal viewpoint. It comes before ‘mig’ in this expression. Use ‘for mig’ when saying how something seems or feels from your perspective.

mig ‘mig’ means ‘me’ in ‘for mig’ and identifies the person whose viewpoint is being given. It follows the preposition ‘for’ here. Use it after a preposition when referring to yourself as the person affected or concerned.

Lad ‘Lad’ means ‘let’ in ‘Lad os læse’; with ‘os’, the whole expression makes a suggestion to do something together. The citation form is lade; Lad is the form used at the start of this invitation. Use ‘Lad os’ when inviting another person or group to join an action.

os ‘os’ means ‘us’ in ‘Lad os læse’ and includes the speaker and the listener or listeners in the suggested action. It follows Lad in this expression. Use ‘Lad os’ to propose doing something together.

læse ‘læse’ means ‘read’ in ‘Lad os læse’ and names the action being suggested. It follows ‘Lad os’ in the invitation. Use ‘Lad os læse’ when suggesting that people read something together.

sætningen ‘sætningen’ means ‘the sentence’ in ‘læse sætningen’. The citation form is sætning; sætningen is the form used for the specific sentence in the lesson. Use it as the object when referring to the sentence that someone should read.

først ‘først’ means ‘first’ in ‘læse sætningen først’ and sets the reading as the first step. It tells the listener about the order of actions. Use it after an action when saying that the action should happen before the others.

Så ‘Så’ means ‘then’ in ‘Så tjekker du svaret’ and ‘Så prøver vi svaret igen’. It marks the next step after an earlier action. Put it at the start of a sentence when moving on to the next instruction or activity.

tjekker ‘tjekker’ means ‘check’ in ‘Så tjekker du svaret’ and describes examining the answer. The citation form is tjekke; tjekker is the form used here. After the initial ‘Så’, it comes before ‘du’ in this sentence. Use it when telling someone to inspect an answer or result.

Kan ‘Kan’ means ‘can’ in ‘Kan du læse sætningen højt?’ and asks whether the other person can perform the action. The citation form is kunne; Kan is the form used at the start of this question. Use ‘Kan du’ before an action when asking another person whether they can do it.

højt ‘højt’ means ‘aloud’ in ‘læse sætningen højt’ and describes reading so that others can hear it. It comes after the thing being read. Use a verb followed by ‘højt’ when asking for or describing an audible action.

læser ‘læser’ means ‘read’ in ‘Jeg læser den langsomt’; here the speaker uses it to announce the reading action. The citation form is læse; læser is the form used here. In ‘Jeg læser den langsomt’, it is followed by the object and the reading speed. Use it when saying that you read something or are going to read it in this context.

den ‘den’ means ‘it’ in ‘Jeg læser den langsomt’ and refers back to ‘sætningen’. It stands after læser as the thing being read. Use it to avoid repeating a previously mentioned noun when the reference is clear.

langsomt ‘langsomt’ means ‘slowly’ in ‘Jeg læser den langsomt’ and describes the pace of reading. It comes after the object den here. Use it when asking for or describing an action done at a slow pace.

skriver ‘skriver’ means ‘write’ in ‘Jeg skriver nøgleordene i min notesbog’; the speaker announces the writing action. The citation form is skrive; skriver is the form used here. Use ‘Jeg skriver’ before the thing you are writing, such as notes or key words.

nøgleordene ‘nøgleordene’ means ‘the key words’ in ‘skriver nøgleordene’. The citation form is nøgleord; nøgleordene refers to the specific key words selected from the lesson. Use it as the object of a verb such as skriver when describing note-taking.

i ‘i’ means ‘in’ in ‘i min notesbog’ and shows where the writing is placed. It comes before the container or location. Use ‘i’ before a place or container when saying where something is or happens.

min ‘min’ means ‘my’ in ‘min notesbog’ and shows that the notebook belongs to the speaker. It comes directly before the noun here. Use ‘min’ before a noun when referring to something that is yours.

notesbog ‘notesbog’ means ‘notebook’ in ‘min notesbog’ and names the place where the key words are written. It follows the possessive min. Use it when talking about writing or keeping notes in a notebook.

prøver ‘prøver’ means ‘try’ in ‘Så prøver vi svaret igen’ and describes making another attempt at the answer. The citation form is prøve; prøver is the form used here. After the initial ‘Så’, it comes before ‘vi’. Use it when saying that someone is attempting an answer or activity.

vi ‘vi’ means ‘we’ in ‘prøver vi svaret igen’ and includes the speaker and the listener in the retry. It is the subject of the action, after prøver in this sentence. Use it when describing an action done by yourself together with another person or group.

igen ‘igen’ means ‘again’ in ‘Så prøver vi svaret igen’ and shows that the answer is being attempted another time. It comes at the end of the action here. Use it after an action when repeating something that has already been done.

Grammar Points

give ikke mening

Det giver ikke mening.

deht KEE-vuh EH-guh MAY-ning.

It does not make sense.

The adverb ikke comes between the verb giver and the rest of the fixed expression.

Har du problemer med ...?

Hvilket spørgsmål har du problemer med?

VIL-guh SPUR-smohl hahv doo proh-BLAY-muh meh?

Which question are you having trouble with?

In questions, the verb comes before the subject: har du, not du har.

Danish Vocabulary

del noun

DEHL part

Gender: common

denne det

DEN-uh this

forstå verb

foh-STAW understand forstår

give mening phrase

KEE-vuh MAY-ning make sense giver ikke mening

have problemer med phrase

HAY-vuh proh-BLAY-muh meh have trouble with har du problemer med

her adv

HAIR here

hvilken det

VIL-kuhn which hvilket

Gender: neuter

ikke adv

EH-guh not

lektion noun

lek-SYOHN lesson lektionen

Gender: common

problem noun

proh-BLEM problem problemer

spørgsmål noun

SPUR-smohl question

Gender: neuter

svar noun

SVAH answer svaret

Gender: neuter

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Which question is giving you trouble?

Show Answer

Hvilket spørgsmål har du problemer med?

Let's read the sentence first.

Show Answer

Lad os læse sætningen først.

Then check the answer.

Show Answer

Så tjekker du svaret.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

not

Show Answer

ikke

which

Show Answer

hvilket

problem

Show Answer

problemer

this

Show Answer

denne