Fixing a Loose Chair | Learn Danish in English

About This Lesson

Use Fixing a Loose Chair to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Denne stol virker løs.

DEN-uh STOHL VAIR-guh LUHS. This chair feels loose.

Hvilken del bevæger sig?

VEL-gən DAYL beh-VAY-uh sigh? Which part is moving?

Det bageste ben vipper lidt.

Deh BAY-guh-stuh BAYN VIP-uh lit. The back leg wobbles a little.

Vi bør reparere den, før nogen bruger den.

VEE bur reh-pah-RAIR-uh den, fur NOH-un BROO-uh den. We should fix it before anyone uses it.

Skal jeg sidde et andet sted?

SKAL yai SEE-thuh ed AN-un STAYD? Should I sit somewhere else?

Brug en anden stol indtil videre.

BROO en AN-un STOHL en-TEEL VEE-uh. Use another chair for now.

Jeg flytter denne stol væk.

yai FLUR-uh DEN-uh STOHL VEK. I will move this one away.

Stil den op ad væggen, så gangen er fri.

SDELL den ob eh VEG-en, soh GANG-en air FREE. Put it against the wall so the walkway stays clear.

Word by Word

Denne In “Denne stol virker løs.”, “Denne” means “this” and points to the chair being discussed. It is used directly before “stol” in this noun phrase.

stol “Stol” means “chair” in “Denne stol virker løs.” It can be used for a seat that someone may sit on, as in the new example “Jeg bruger en stol.”

virker In “virker løs”, “virker” means “seems” or “feels” based on how the chair behaves. It is commonly used before an adjective to describe an impression, as in the new example “Det virker mærkeligt.”

løs “Løs” means “loose” in “Denne stol virker løs.” It describes the chair as not firmly secured; the new example “En løs skrue” uses the same adjective with an object that is not tight.

Hvilken “Hvilken” means “which” in the question “Hvilken del bevæger sig?” It is placed before the thing being selected, as in the reusable pattern “Hvilken ___?”

del “Del” means “part” in “Hvilken del bevæger sig?” Here it asks which part of the chair is moving. A reusable pattern is “en del af noget” for “a part of something.”

bevæger In “bevæger sig”, “bevæger” describes moving, and “sig” completes the expression for the part moving. The reusable pattern is “bevæger sig” when a person or thing moves itself.

sig In “bevæger sig”, “sig” refers back to the thing that is moving and helps express movement by that subject. A new example is “Han bevæger sig langsomt.”

Det In “Det bageste ben”, “Det” is part of the phrase referring to the specific back leg. It appears together with “bageste” and “ben” rather than identifying a person.

bageste “Bageste” means “back” or “rear” in “Det bageste ben.” It identifies the leg at the back of the chair and is placed before “ben” here.

ben “Ben” means “leg” in “Det bageste ben.” In this dialogue it refers to one supporting part of the chair; the new example “Et bordben” uses the same word for a table leg.

vipper “Vipper” means “wobbles” or “tilts” in “vipper lidt.” It describes a small unstable movement, and a reusable pattern is “noget vipper lidt.”

lidt “Lidt” means “a little” in “vipper lidt” and shows that the movement is small. It is commonly placed after the verb to limit the amount, as in the new example “Vent lidt.”

Vi “Vi” means “we” and is the subject of “Vi bør reparere den.” It refers to the speakers together and can be used before a verb when describing a shared action.

bør “Bør” expresses that something is advisable or should be done in “Vi bør reparere den.” It is followed here by “reparere”; the reusable pattern is “Vi bør + action.”

reparere “Reparere” means “repair” or “fix” in “bør reparere den.” It is used for making a damaged or loose object usable again, with the object placed after it, as in “reparere noget.”

den “Den” means “it” in “reparere den” and refers back to the loose chair. It is used as the object after “reparere” here, so the sentence says to repair the chair.

før “Før” means “before” in “før nogen bruger den.” It introduces the action that must happen first, and the reusable pattern is “før + action.”

nogen “Nogen” means “anyone” in “før nogen bruger den.” It refers to an unspecified person who might use the chair, as in the reusable pattern “før nogen + action.”

bruger “Bruger” means “uses” in “nogen bruger den.” It describes a person making use of the chair, and the reusable pattern is “bruger noget” with the object after the verb.

Skal At the start of “Skal jeg sidde et andet sted?”, “Skal” asks whether the speaker should or is expected to do something. It is followed by the subject “jeg” and the action “sidde.”

jeg “Jeg” means “I” in “Skal jeg sidde et andet sted?” and “Jeg flytter denne stol væk.” It identifies the speaker as the person asking or acting.

sidde “Sidde” means “sit” in “Skal jeg sidde et andet sted?” It follows “Skal” and is used with a place expression, here “et andet sted.”

et In “et andet sted”, “et” introduces the singular noun phrase meaning “a different place.” It comes before “andet sted” in this reusable expression for being somewhere else.

andet “Andet” means “another” or “different” in “et andet sted.” It modifies “sted” and marks a place different from the current one; the same pattern is “et andet + noun.”

sted “Sted” means “place” in “et andet sted,” which means “somewhere else” or “in another place.” It is used after a description such as “et andet.”

Brug “Brug” is a direct instruction meaning “use” in “Brug en anden stol.” It is followed by the thing to use, and the reusable pattern is “Brug + object.”

en In “en anden stol”, “en” means “a” and introduces the chair being recommended. It comes before “anden stol” in this noun phrase.

anden “Anden” means “another” in “en anden stol.” It tells the listener to choose a chair different from the loose one, and it is placed before “stol.”

indtil videre “Indtil videre” means “for now” in “Brug en anden stol indtil videre.” The whole expression is used temporarily: “indtil” contributes “until” and “videre” contributes the idea of continuing onward; a new example is “Vi venter indtil videre.”

flytter “Flytter” expresses moving something in “Jeg flytter denne stol væk.” It is used with the object “denne stol” and can be followed by “væk” to show movement away.

væk “Væk” means “away” in “flytter denne stol væk.” It shows that the chair is moved away from its current position; a new example is “Gå væk.”

Stil “Stil” is a direct instruction meaning “put” or “place” in “Stil den op ad væggen.” It is followed by the object being placed and then its destination.

op In “op ad væggen”, “op” helps express placing something into position against the wall. The reusable pattern is “Stil noget op ad noget” for placing one thing against another.

ad In “op ad væggen”, “ad” means “against” and connects the placed chair with the wall. A new example is “Stolen står op ad væggen.”

væggen “Væggen” means “the wall” in “op ad væggen” and refers to the specific wall where the chair should go. The citation form is “væg”; “væggen” is the form used here for that wall.

så “Så” means “so that” in “så gangen er fri.” It introduces the intended result of placing the chair by the wall, and the reusable pattern is “så + result.”

gangen “Gangen” means “the walkway” or “the corridor” in “så gangen er fri.” It refers to the passage people use; the citation form is “gang”, while “gangen” is the form used here for the specific passage.

er “Er” means “is” in “gangen er fri.” It links the walkway with its condition, “fri,” and the reusable pattern is “noget er + description.”

fri “Fri” means “clear” or “unobstructed” in “gangen er fri.” Here it describes a walkway with nothing blocking it; a new example is “Hold gangen fri.”

Grammar Points

virker lidt + adjektiv

Denne stol virker lidt løs.

DEN-uh STOHL VAIR-guh lit LUHS.

This chair seems a little loose.

Her er lidt et adverbium, der lægger sig til adjektivet løs og betyder “en smule løs”.

Stil + genstandsled

Stil denne stol op ad væggen.

SDELL DEN-uh STOHL ob eh VEG-en.

Put this chair against the wall.

Stil er imperativformen af stille og bruges til en direkte opfordring eller besked.

Danish Vocabulary

bageste adj

BAY-guh-stuh back; rear

ben noun

BAYN leg

Gender: neuter

bevæge sig verb

beh-VAY-uh sigh move bevæger sig

del noun

DAYL part

Gender: common

denne det

DEN-uh this

hvilken det

VEL-gən which

lidt adv

LIT a little

løs adj

LUHS loose

Gender: common

reparere verb

reh-pah-RAIR-uh repair; fix

stol noun

STOHL chair

Gender: common

vippe verb

VIP-uh wobble vipper

virke verb

VAIR-guh seem; feel virker

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

This chair feels loose.

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Denne stol virker løs.

Which part is moving?

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Hvilken del bevæger sig?

The back leg wobbles a little.

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Det bageste ben vipper lidt.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

back; rear

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bageste

chair

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stol

which

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hvilken

seem; feel

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virker