Returning to Work After a Break | Learn Danish in English

About This Lesson

Use Returning to Work After a Break to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Føler du dig klar til at arbejde igen?

FUR-luh doo dai klah tel uh AH-bye-thuh ee-GEN? Do you feel ready to work again?

Jeg har det bedre nu.

yai hah deh BEH-druh noo. I feel better now.

Skal vi gå tilbage til skrivebordet?

skal vee goh tuh-BAI-lay tel SKREE-vuh-BOH-uh? Should we go back to the desk?

Pausen er slut, så lad os komme videre.

POW-sun air slood, soh leh ohss KOH-muh VEE-uh-duh. The break is over, so let's get moving.

Jeg skal bruge filen til den næste opgave.

yai skal BROO-uh FEE-lun tel den NES-duh OH-peh-wuh. I need the file for the next task.

Den ligger på skrivebordet.

den LEH-guh poh SKREE-vuh-BOH-uh. It's on the desk.

Jeg kan bedre koncentrere mig nu.

yai kan BEH-druh kun-sen-TREH-uh mai noo. I can focus better now.

Så lad os begynde med filen.

soh leh ohss beh-GUR-nuh meh FEE-lun. Then let's start with the file.

Word by Word

Føler “Føler” means “feel” in the question “Føler du dig klar til at arbejde igen?” It is the form of “føle” used with “du” here. A reusable pattern is “Føler du dig ...?” when asking how someone feels.

du “du” means “you” in “Føler du dig klar til at arbejde igen?” It identifies the person being asked about their state. It commonly appears with a verb in a direct question, as in “Føler du ...?”.

dig “dig” refers back to “du” in the expression “Føler du dig klar”. Together, “Føler du dig klar” asks whether you feel ready. A reusable pattern is “føle sig” with the appropriate pronoun when describing how someone feels.

klar “klar” means “ready” in “Føler du dig klar til at arbejde igen?” It describes the state that the person feels themselves to be in. A common pattern is “klar til” followed by an activity or task.

til “til” links “klar” with the activity in “klar til at arbejde”. Here it means “ready to” as part of the construction “klar til at arbejde”. A reusable pattern is “klar til” plus a noun or “at” plus an activity.

at “at” introduces the activity “arbejde” in “til at arbejde”. Here it functions as the infinitive marker before the verb. A reusable pattern is “at” followed by a verb when an activity is named.

arbejde “arbejde” means “work” in “at arbejde”. It names the activity the person is ready to do. A reusable pattern is “at arbejde” after an expression such as “klar til”.

igen “igen” means “again” in “arbejde igen”. It shows that the work is being resumed after an earlier period of not working. It can be placed after the activity or action it modifies, as in “arbejde igen”.

Jeg “Jeg” means “I” in “Jeg har det bedre nu.” It identifies the speaker as the person whose condition has improved. It commonly comes before the verb in a statement.

har “har” contributes to the expression “har det bedre”, which means that the speaker feels better. It is the dialogue form used with “Jeg” in “Jeg har det bedre nu.” A reusable pattern is “Jeg har det ...” when describing one’s general condition.

det “det” is part of the expression “har det bedre” and refers to the speaker’s general state rather than a specific object. The whole expression means “feel better” in this dialogue. A reusable pattern is “har det” followed by a word describing a condition.

bedre “bedre” means “better” in “Jeg har det bedre nu.” It shows an improved condition compared with before. A reusable pattern is “har det bedre” when reporting that someone feels better.

nu “nu” means “now” in “Jeg har det bedre nu.” It places the improved feeling at the present moment. It commonly appears at the end of a short statement to specify when something is true.

Skal “Skal” asks about a suggestion or intended action in “Skal vi gå tilbage til skrivebordet?” At the beginning of the sentence, it helps form the question “Should we go back ...?” A reusable question pattern is “Skal vi” followed by an action.

vi “vi” means “we” in “Skal vi gå tilbage til skrivebordet?” It includes the speaker and the person being addressed. It commonly comes after “Skal” in a question about doing something together.

gå “gå” means “go” in “gå tilbage til skrivebordet”. It names the action being suggested. A reusable pattern is “gå tilbage til” followed by a place or destination.

tilbage “tilbage” means “back” in “gå tilbage til skrivebordet”. It shows that the movement returns to a previous place. It commonly follows “gå” when describing a return.

skrivebordet “skrivebordet” means “the desk” in “til skrivebordet”. The ending is part of the exact form used for the specific desk they are returning to. A reusable pattern is “til” followed by a destination such as “til skrivebordet”.

Pausen “Pausen” means “the break” in “Pausen er slut”. It refers to the specific break that the two people have just taken. A reusable pattern is a noun with the definite ending used when referring to a known thing.

er “er” means “is” in “Pausen er slut”. It links “Pausen” with the description “slut”. It is commonly used to state a current condition or status.

slut “slut” means “over” or “finished” in “Pausen er slut”. With “er”, it says that the break has ended. A reusable pattern is “er slut” for something that is finished.

så “så” means “so” in “så lad os komme videre”. It connects the break being over with the suggestion that follows. It can introduce a result or next step after a statement.

lad “lad” is part of the suggestion “lad os komme videre”, meaning “let’s move on”. It helps invite the other person to do the action together. A reusable pattern is “lad os” followed by an action.

os “os” means “us” in “lad os komme videre”. Together, “lad os” invites the speaker and the listener to do something. A reusable pattern is “lad os” plus a verb.

komme “komme” contributes to “komme videre”, meaning to move on or continue. It is the verb form used after “lad os” in “lad os komme videre”. A reusable pattern is “lad os komme” followed by a direction or next step.

videre “videre” means “on” or “further” in “komme videre”. It shows that the people should continue to the next activity. A reusable pattern is “komme videre” when moving on from one task or stage.

bruge “bruge” is part of “skal bruge filen” and contributes to the meaning “need the file” in this dialogue. It appears after “skal” as the action connected with the needed object. A reusable pattern is “skal bruge” plus a noun.

filen “filen” means “the file” in “Jeg skal bruge filen til den næste opgave.” It refers to a specific file needed for the task. A reusable pattern is “bruge” followed by the thing that is needed.

den “den” refers to the file in “Den ligger på skrivebordet.” At the beginning of the dialogue sentence, it appears as “Den”; the word unit is written as “den”. It commonly refers back to a known object instead of repeating its noun.

ligger “ligger” means “is located” in “Den ligger på skrivebordet.” It describes where the file is positioned. A reusable pattern is “[object] ligger på” followed by a surface or place.

på “på” means “on” in “på skrivebordet”. It introduces the surface where the file is located. A reusable pattern is “ligger på” followed by the place or surface.

kan “kan” means “can” in “Jeg kan bedre koncentrere mig nu.” It expresses the speaker’s ability to focus better at this moment. It commonly comes before the verb describing the ability.

koncentrere “koncentrere” means “concentrate” or “focus” in “kan bedre koncentrere mig”. It names the activity the speaker can do better now. A reusable pattern is “koncentrere mig” when saying that I focus.

mig “mig” refers to the speaker in “koncentrere mig”. Together, “koncentrere mig” means “focus” or “concentrate” in this dialogue. A reusable pattern is the verb “koncentrere” followed by the pronoun that refers to the person focusing.

begynde “begynde” means “begin” in “lad os begynde med filen”. It names the action that the speakers suggest doing together. A reusable pattern is “lad os begynde med” followed by the first thing to work on.

med “med” means “with” in “begynde med filen”. It introduces the file as the starting point of the task. A reusable pattern is “begynde med” followed by the thing that will be started with.

Grammar Points

have det bedre

har det bedre

hah deh BEH-druh

feel better

Danish uses the fixed expression have det bedre, literally “have it better,” to mean “feel better.”

Definite noun suffix: -et / -en

skrivebordet, filen

SKREE-vuh-BOH-uh, FEE-lun

the desk, the file

Danish often marks “the” by adding a suffix to the noun: skrivebord + et and fil + en.

Danish Vocabulary

arbejde verb

AH-bye-thuh work

Føler du dig klar til at arbejde igen?

dig pron

dai yourself

Føler du dig klar til at arbejde igen?

føle verb

FUR-luh feel Føler

Føler du dig klar til at arbejde igen?

gå tilbage phrase

goh tuh-BAI-lay go back

Skal vi gå tilbage til skrivebordet?

have det bedre phrase

HEH-vuh deh BEH-druh feel better har det bedre

Jeg har det bedre nu.

igen adv

ee-GEN again

Føler du dig klar til at arbejde igen?

klar adj

klah ready

Føler du dig klar til at arbejde igen?

komme videre phrase

KOH-muh VEE-uh-duh move on

Pausen er slut, så lad os komme videre.

nu adv

noo now

Jeg har det bedre nu.

pause noun

POW-suh break Pausen

Gender: common

Pausen er slut, så lad os komme videre.

skrivebord noun

SKREE-vuh-BOH-uh desk skrivebordet

Gender: neuter

Skal vi gå tilbage til skrivebordet?

slut adj

slood over

Pausen er slut, så lad os komme videre.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I feel better now.

Show Answer

Jeg har det bedre nu.

Should we go back to the desk?

Show Answer

Skal vi gå tilbage til skrivebordet?

It's on the desk.

Show Answer

Den ligger på skrivebordet.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

ready

Show Answer

klar

work

Show Answer

arbejde

feel

Show Answer

Føler

desk

Show Answer

skrivebordet