Borrowing a ladder safely | Learn Danish in English

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Use Borrowing a ladder safely to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Må jeg låne din stige?

moh yai LOH-nuh deen STEE-uh Can I borrow your ladder?

Ja, men pas godt på den.

yah, men pass goht poh den Sure, but please be careful with it.

Jeg skal nå en høj hylde.

yai skal noh en hoy HYÜL-uh I need to reach a high shelf.

Jeg kan holde den stabil for dig.

yai kan HOHL-uh den sta-BEEL fohr dai I can hold it steady for you.

Det ville hjælpe meget.

deh VEL-uh YEL-buh MAYTH That would help a lot.

Stå ikke på det øverste trin.

STAW IK-uh poh deh UR-vuh-stuh TREEN Stay off the top step.

Jeg bliver på et lavere trin.

yai BLEE-uh poh et LAY-vuh-ruh TREEN I will stay on a lower step.

Tag den tilbage, når du er færdig.

TEH den tah-BEL-uh NAWR doo eh FAIR-dee Bring it back when you finish.

Word by Word

Må In “Må jeg låne din stige?” this asks for permission: “may I…?” It is used before a subject and an action to make a request, such as “Må jeg låne …?” when asking to borrow something.

jeg “jeg” means “I” and is the person asking permission in “Må jeg låne din stige?” It commonly comes before the verb in a question such as “Må jeg …?”.

låne “låne” means “borrow” in “Må jeg låne din stige?” It names the action of using something that belongs to someone else and is used after “Må jeg” in this request.

din “din” means “your” in “din stige,” referring to the ladder belonging to the person being asked. It comes directly before the noun it describes, as in “din stige” for “your ladder”.

stige “stige” means “ladder” in “din stige.” It is the object being borrowed, and it follows the possessive word in the phrase “din stige”.

Ja “Ja” means “yes” and agrees to the request in “Ja, men pas godt på den.” It can be used at the start of a reply to accept or confirm something.

men “men” means “but” and introduces a safety condition after the agreement in “Ja, men pas godt på den.” It connects an agreement with a warning or limitation.

pas In “pas godt på den,” “pas” tells someone to take care. It is used as a direct instruction and forms the care expression with “godt” and “på den,” for example when warning someone to handle a borrowed object carefully.

godt In “pas godt på den,” “godt” strengthens the instruction to take good care. Together with “pas” and “på den,” it makes the expression “pas godt på den”; it can be used when giving careful-handling advice.

på “på” is part of “pas godt på den,” where the whole expression means to take care of it. The same form also means “on” in “på det øverste trin” and “på et lavere trin,” describing position on a ladder step.

den “den” means “it” in “pas godt på den” and refers back to the ladder. It is used after the care expression to show what should be handled carefully.

skal In “Jeg skal nå en høj hylde,” “skal” expresses that the speaker needs to reach the shelf. It is used before the action form “nå,” as in “Jeg skal …” when stating what one needs to do.

nå “nå” means “reach” in “skal nå en høj hylde.” It describes getting to or reaching the high shelf and follows “skal” in this sentence.

en “en” is the article “a” before “høj hylde” in “en høj hylde.” It introduces one unspecified common-gender noun and comes before the adjective and noun.

høj “høj” means “high” in “en høj hylde,” describing the shelf’s position. It comes before the noun in this phrase, as in “en høj hylde” for “a high shelf”.

hylde “hylde” means “shelf” in “en høj hylde.” It is the thing the speaker needs to reach and follows the describing word “høj”.

kan “kan” means “can” in “Jeg kan holde den stabil for dig,” expressing ability or an offer to help. It comes before the action form “holde,” as in “Jeg kan …” when offering what one is able to do.

holde “holde” means “hold” in “kan holde den stabil for dig.” It describes keeping the ladder steady and follows “kan” in this sentence.

stabil “stabil” means “steady” or “stable” in “holde den stabil.” It describes the condition in which the ladder is held and comes after the object “den” in this construction.

for “for” means “for” in “for dig,” showing who benefits from the help. It comes before the person receiving the help, as in “for dig” for “for you”.

dig “dig” means “you” in “for dig,” referring to the person who will climb the ladder. It follows “for” to identify the person the action is done for.

Det “Det” means “that” in “Det ville hjælpe meget,” referring to the offer to hold the ladder steady. It can begin a reply that evaluates or responds to something just proposed.

ville “ville” means “would” in “Det ville hjælpe meget,” describing the expected helpful result of the offer. It is used before “hjælpe” in this sentence to express that result.

hjælpe “hjælpe” means “help” in “ville hjælpe meget.” It describes the benefit the proposed assistance would provide and follows “ville” in the expression.

meget “meget” means “a lot” or “very much” in “hjælpe meget,” emphasizing how useful the help would be. It comes after the verb in this expression and can emphasize the amount or degree of help.

Stå In “Stå ikke på det øverste trin,” “Stå” gives the instruction “stand” or “stay.” It is used at the beginning of a direct safety instruction, followed by “ikke” to say what not to do.

ikke “ikke” means “not” in “Stå ikke på det øverste trin,” making the instruction negative. It comes after “Stå” in this command to prohibit standing on the top step.

øverste “øverste” means “top” or “uppermost” in “det øverste trin,” identifying the highest step of the ladder. It comes before “trin” and specifies which step is meant.

trin “trin” means “step” in “det øverste trin.” It refers to a ladder step and is also used in “et lavere trin” for a lower step.

bliver In “Jeg bliver på et lavere trin,” “bliver” means “stay” or “remain.” It describes remaining on a particular step and is used with “på” plus the place, as in “bliver på …”.

et “et” is the article “a” before “lavere trin” in “et lavere trin.” It introduces one unspecified neuter noun and comes before the adjective and noun.

lavere “lavere” means “lower” in “et lavere trin,” identifying a step below the top step. It comes before “trin” and compares its position with the higher step mentioned earlier.

Tag In “Tag den tilbage,” “Tag” gives the instruction “take” or “bring.” It is a direct request to return the ladder, followed by the object “den” and the direction “tilbage”.

tilbage “tilbage” means “back” in “Tag den tilbage,” showing that the ladder should be returned. It follows the object in this instruction and can be used to indicate a return to the previous place or person.

når “når” means “when” in “når du er færdig,” introducing the time for returning the ladder. It begins a clause that says when the main action should happen.

du “du” means “you” in “når du er færdig,” referring to the person who is using the ladder. It comes before “er” in this clause.

er “er” means “are” or “is” in “du er færdig,” linking “du” with the state of being finished. It is used before “færdig” when describing that someone has completed an activity.

færdig “færdig” means “finished” in “du er færdig,” describing the point at which the person has completed the task. It follows “er” in the pattern “du er færdig,” which can be used before returning something after use.

Grammar Points

Pas godt på + pronomen

Pas godt på dig.

PASS GOHT POH DAI

Be careful.

The fixed expression pas godt på means “be careful”; dig identifies the person being careful.

når + subjekt + verb

Når jeg bliver færdig

NAWR yai BLEE-uh FAIR-dee

When I am finished

After når, the subject comes before the verb: når jeg bliver, not når bliver jeg.

Danish Vocabulary

godt adv

GOHT well

Ja, men pas godt på den.

holde verb

HOHL-uh hold

Jeg kan holde den stabil for dig.

hylde noun

HYÜL-uh shelf

Gender: common

Jeg skal nå en høj hylde.

høj adj

HOY high

Jeg skal nå en høj hylde.

jeg pron

YAI I

Jeg skal nå en høj hylde.

låne verb

LOH-nuh borrow

Må jeg låne din stige?

nå verb

NOH reach

Jeg skal nå en høj hylde.

pas verb

PASS be careful Pas

Ja, men pas godt på den.

pas godt på phrase

PASS GOHT POH be careful with

Ja, men pas godt på den.

på prep

POH on; with

Ja, men pas godt på den.

stabil adj

sta-BEEL steady; stable

Jeg kan holde den stabil for dig.

stige noun

STEE-uh ladder

Gender: common

Må jeg låne din stige?

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Can I borrow your ladder?

Show Answer

Må jeg låne din stige?

Sure, but please be careful with it.

Show Answer

Ja, men pas godt på den.

I need to reach a high shelf.

Show Answer

Jeg skal nå en høj hylde.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

ladder

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stige

borrow

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låne

well

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godt

hold

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holde