Speaking quietly in a library | Learn Danish in English

About This Lesson

Use Speaking quietly in a library to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Kan du tale lidt lavere her?

kən doo TAY-luh lit LAY-wuh hair? Could you speak a little more quietly here?

Jeg var ikke klar over, at jeg talte så højt.

yai var IK-uh KLAHR OH-wuh, ad yai TAL-duh soh HOYT. I didn't realize I was speaking so loudly.

Folk studerer ved bordet ved siden af.

fohlk stoo-DAY-uh veh BOHR-duh veh SAY-n eh. People are studying at the next table.

Jeg vil tale lavere.

yai vil TAY-luh LAY-wuh. I will lower my voice.

Det vil gøre det lettere for alle at koncentrere sig.

deh vil GUR-uh deh LET-uh-uh fohr AL-uh eh kon-sen-TRAY-uh sigh. It will make it easier for everyone to focus.

Jeg kan sidde tættere på, så vi ikke skal tale højt.

yai kən SEE-thuh TET-uh-uh poh, soh vee IK-uh sgal TAY-luh HOYT. I can sit closer so we do not have to talk loudly.

Så kan vi arbejde videre uden at forstyrre nogen.

soh kən vee AR-bye-thuh VEE-thuh-uh OO-uhn eh fo-STUR-uh NOH-wuhn. Then we can keep working without bothering anyone.

Jeg vil tale lavt fra nu af.

yai vil TAY-luh LAWT frah noo eh. I will keep it down from now on.

Word by Word

Kan “Kan” means “can” in the polite request “Kan du tale lidt lavere her?” It is placed before “du” and the verb “tale”; this pattern is useful for asking someone politely whether they can do something.

du “du” means “you” in “Kan du tale lidt lavere her?” It identifies the person being asked and commonly appears after “Kan” in a direct question.

tale “tale” means “speak” or “talk” in “Kan du tale lidt lavere her?” It follows “Kan du” in this request; use “tale” for the activity of speaking.

lidt “lidt” means “a little” in “tale lidt lavere,” making the request less abrupt. It is placed before “lavere” to indicate a small degree of change.

mere “mere” means “more” in “lidt mere” when comparing an amount or degree, but the exact dialogue form here is “lavere,” without “mere.” In this lesson, its supplied meaning relates to asking for a greater reduction in volume.

lavere “lavere” means “lower” or “more quietly” in “tale lidt lavere her.” It describes reducing the speaking volume and follows “tale” in this request; use it when asking for a lower level or volume.

her “her” means “here” in “Kan du tale lidt lavere her?” It points to the current place, the library, and is useful for specifying where a request applies.

Jeg “Jeg” means “I” in “Jeg var ikke klar over, at jeg talte så højt.” It identifies the speaker and appears at the beginning of several statements such as “Jeg vil tale lavere.”

var “var” means “was” in “Jeg var ikke klar over.” It describes the speaker’s state of awareness in the past and is followed here by “ikke klar over.”

ikke “ikke” means “not” in “var ikke klar over.” It makes the statement negative and is placed before the expression “klar over.”

klar over “klar over” means “aware of” or “realize” in “Jeg var ikke klar over, at jeg talte så højt.” Together, “klar” and “over” form the expression, which is used after “var” to describe awareness of a fact.

at “at” introduces the clause “at jeg talte så højt” after “Jeg var ikke klar over.” It links the expression of awareness to the information that follows.

talte “talte” means “spoke” or “was speaking” in “at jeg talte så højt.” It describes the speaker’s speaking in the clause introduced by “at”; use it when referring to speaking in this past context.

så “så” means “so” in “så højt,” showing the degree to which the speaker was talking loudly. The same form means “then” in “Så kan vi arbejde videre,” where it connects one action to the next.

højt “højt” means “loudly” in “talte så højt” and “tale højt.” It describes speaking volume and is used after “tale” or “talte” when someone is speaking loudly.

Folk “Folk” means “people” in “Folk studerer ved bordet ved siden af.” It refers generally to the people nearby and is useful when talking about people as a group.

studerer “studerer” means “study” or “are studying” in “Folk studerer.” It describes what the people are doing now and is used after the subject “Folk.”

ved “ved” means “at” or “by” in “ved bordet ved siden af.” It places the people in relation to the table and commonly appears before a place or object.

bordet “bordet” means “the table” in “ved bordet ved siden af.” It identifies the specific table where the people are studying and follows “ved” in this location phrase.

siden “siden” means “side” within the location expression “ved siden af,” referring to something adjacent. Keep it together with “ved” and “af” when using the expression for something next to another thing.

af “af” contributes to the meaning “next to” in the complete expression “ved siden af.” Here it is part of the location phrase and should not be interpreted alone as the whole meaning.

vil “vil” means “will” in “Jeg vil tale lavere” and “Det vil gøre det lettere.” It comes before an infinitive such as “tale” or “gøre” to express a future action or intention.

gøre “gøre” means “make” in “Det vil gøre det lettere for alle at koncentrere sig.” It follows “vil” and introduces the result that something will make easier.

det “det” means “it” in “Det vil gøre det lettere for alle at koncentrere sig.” The same form also appears in “gøre det lettere,” where it is part of that construction; the meaning of the whole construction does not come from “det” alone.

lettere “lettere” means “easier” in “gøre det lettere for alle at koncentrere sig.” It describes an improvement in how easy something is and follows “gøre det.”

for “for” means “for” in “lettere for alle.” It introduces the people who benefit from the situation and commonly appears before the person or group concerned.

alle “alle” means “everyone” or “all” in “for alle.” It refers to the whole group of people who can focus more easily and is useful after “for” when naming everyone affected.

koncentrere “koncentrere” means “concentrate” or “focus” in “at koncentrere sig.” It follows “at” and is used with “sig” in this expression for focusing.

sig “sig” refers back to the people who are concentrating in “alle at koncentrere sig.” It is used with “koncentrere” in the reusable expression “koncentrere sig.”

sidde “sidde” means “sit” in “Jeg kan sidde tættere på.” It follows “kan” and describes changing to a closer sitting position.

tættere “tættere” means “closer” in “sidde tættere på.” It describes a shorter distance and is followed by “på” in this expression.

på “på” contributes to the meaning “closer to” in “sidde tættere på.” It completes the expression with “tættere” and is used to specify the direction or reference point of moving closer.

vi “vi” means “we” in “så vi ikke skal tale højt” and “Så kan vi arbejde videre.” It refers to the speakers together and commonly appears before the verb in a clause.

skal “skal” means “have to” or “must” in “vi ikke skal tale højt.” With “ikke,” it says that the speakers do not have to talk loudly, and it is followed by the verb “tale.”

arbejde “arbejde” means “work” in “kan vi arbejde videre.” It follows “kan vi” and describes continuing the shared activity.

videre “videre” means “on” or “further” in “arbejde videre.” Together, the phrase means to continue working; use “videre” after an activity to express continuation.

uden “uden” means “without” in “uden at forstyrre nogen.” It introduces an action that does not happen and is followed here by “at” and the verb “forstyrre.”

forstyrre “forstyrre” means “bother” or “disturb” in “uden at forstyrre nogen.” It follows “uden at” and describes the action that the speakers want to avoid.

nogen “nogen” means “anyone” in the negative expression “uden at forstyrre nogen.” It identifies the people who should not be disturbed and appears after “forstyrre.”

lavt “lavt” means “quietly” or “at a low volume” in “tale lavt.” It describes how the speaker will talk and is useful after “tale” when asking for or stating a quiet speaking style.

fra “fra” contributes to the meaning “from” in the complete time expression “fra nu af.” Together with “nu” and “af,” it marks the point from which the new behavior will apply.

nu “nu” means “now” in “fra nu af.” In this expression, it identifies the present moment as the starting point for the speaker’s quieter behavior.

Grammar Points

tale lavere

tale lavere

TAY-luh LAY-wuh

speak more quietly

lavere is the comparative adverb of lavt and means that the action is done at a lower volume.

koncentrere sig

koncentrere sig

kon-sen-TRAY-uh sigh

concentrate; focus

sig is a fixed reflexive part of this Danish verb and cannot be omitted.

Danish Vocabulary

alle pron

AL-uh everyone; all

bordet noun

BOHR-duh the table

folk noun

fohlk people

gøre verb

GUR-uh make; do

højt adv

HOYT loudly

klar over phrase

KLAHR OH-wuh aware of; realize

koncentrere sig verb

kon-sen-TRAY-uh sigh focus; concentrate

lavere adv

LAY-wuh lower; more quietly

lettere adj

LET-uh-uh easier

studere verb

stoo-DAY-uh study studerer

tale verb

TAY-luh speak; talk

ved siden af phrase

veh SEE-n eh next to; beside

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Could you speak a little more quietly here?

Show Answer

Kan du tale lidt lavere her?

I will lower my voice.

Show Answer

Jeg vil tale lavere.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

speak; talk

Show Answer

tale

the table

Show Answer

bordet

make; do

Show Answer

gøre

study

Show Answer

studerer