Leaving Space in a Crowded Line | Learn Danish in English

Danish lesson set in a contemporary Copenhagen everyday setting: In a crowded line, two adults leave space on the side so other people can pass..

EN → DA / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Leaving Space in a Crowded Line to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Der bliver virkelig trangt i køen.

dair BLEE-uh VAIRG-lee TRAHNGD ee KUR-uhn This line is getting really crowded.
B

Lad os give lidt plads i siden.

LAETH ohs GHEE-vuh lehd PLASS ee SEE-thun Let's leave some room on the side.
A

Skal jeg flytte mig lidt tilbage?

skahl yai FLUR-tuh mai lehd tuh-BAIR-wuh Should I move back a little?
B

Så er det lettere for folk at komme forbi.

soh air deh LEH-thuh-ruh fohr FOLL uh KOM-uh fohr-BEE That would make it easier for people to pass.
A

Er det langt nok?

air deh LAHNGD NOHG Is this far enough?
B

Der er fri passage nu.

dair air FREE pah-SAH-shuh NOO There is a clear path now.
A

Jeg kan stille mig tættere på væggen.

yai kan STELL-uh mai TEH-thuh-ruh poh VEH-gun I can stand closer to the wall.
B

Så er der fri passage.

soh air dair FREE pah-SAH-shuh That keeps the walkway open.

Word by Word

Der In 'Der bliver virkelig trangt i køen.', Der is an existential sentence starter that introduces the situation. It is commonly used at the beginning of statements about what exists or what is happening.
bliver In 'Der bliver virkelig trangt i køen.', bliver means 'becomes' or 'is getting', showing that the situation is changing into a crowded one. The basic form is blive. It is useful with a description of a changing situation.
virkelig In 'Der bliver virkelig trangt i køen.', virkelig means 'really' and intensifies trangt. It can be placed before a description to make it stronger.
trangt In 'Der bliver virkelig trangt i køen.', trangt describes the space as cramped or crowded. The adjective's basic form is trang; trangt is the form used here for this situation. It is useful when limited space is becoming a problem.
i In 'i køen', i means 'in' and places the situation inside or within the line. The pattern i + a place or group is used to say where someone or something is.
køen In 'i køen', køen means 'the line' or 'the queue'. The basic form is kø; køen is the form used for the specific line in this scene. Use it with i when referring to being in the line.
Lad In 'Lad os give lidt plads i siden.', Lad helps form a suggestion meaning 'let's'. Together with os, it introduces an action that the speakers can do together. The reusable pattern is Lad os followed by a verb for a shared suggestion.
os In 'Lad os give lidt plads i siden.', os means 'us' and refers to the speaker and the other person together. The basic pronoun form is vi; os is used here after Lad. Lad os is a common way to suggest a joint action.
give In 'give lidt plads', give means 'give' or 'leave' in the sense of making room. The expression is used here to create space for other people. It is useful when talking about making room or allowing space.
lidt In 'give lidt plads', lidt means 'a little' or 'some' and limits the amount of space being given. It is commonly placed before a quantity or an uncounted thing.
plads In 'give lidt plads', plads means 'space' or 'room'. It is the thing the speakers want to leave available in the crowded line. The word is useful in expressions about making or leaving room.
siden In 'i siden', siden means 'the side', referring to the side area where space should be left. The basic form is side; siden is the form used here for the specific side. Use i siden when indicating that something is on the side.
Skal In 'Skal jeg flytte mig lidt tilbage?', Skal asks whether the speaker should do something. The basic form is skulle, while Skal is the form used at the beginning of this question. Skal jeg followed by an action is useful when asking for permission or checking what to do.
jeg In 'Skal jeg flytte mig lidt tilbage?', jeg means 'I' and identifies the speaker as the person who may move. It is used as the subject before an action such as flytte.
flytte In 'flytte mig lidt tilbage', flytte means 'move'. With mig, it describes the speaker moving themselves backward. The expression is useful when proposing or describing a change of position.
mig In 'flytte mig lidt tilbage', mig means 'me' or 'myself' and refers to the speaker as the person being moved. The basic pronoun form is jeg; mig is used here after flytte. It makes the action refer to the speaker's own position.
tilbage In 'flytte mig lidt tilbage', tilbage means 'back' and gives the direction of the movement. It is useful after a movement verb when someone returns to or moves toward a position behind the current one.
Så In 'Så er det lettere for folk at komme forbi.', Så means 'then' or 'so' and connects the action of making space with its result. It is also used in 'Så er der fri passage.' to introduce the resulting situation.
er In 'Så er det lettere for folk at komme forbi.', er means 'is' and states the resulting condition. The basic form is være. It is used to link a subject such as det with a description such as lettere.
det In 'Så er det lettere for folk at komme forbi.', det means 'it' and refers to the situation being discussed. It is used as the subject in a statement about how easy the situation is. Det er is a common pattern for describing a situation.
lettere In 'det lettere for folk at komme forbi', lettere means 'easier' and describes the improved possibility of passing. The basic adjective is let; lettere is its comparative form. The pattern lettere for folk at komme forbi shows who benefits and what becomes easier.
for In 'lettere for folk at komme forbi', for means 'for' and marks the people who benefit from the clearer space. It is used before folk in this construction to show for whom something is easier.
folk In 'for folk at komme forbi', folk means 'people' and refers to the people who need to pass through. It is used here after for to identify who benefits from the open space.
at In 'at komme forbi', at marks the following action as an infinitive, meaning 'to pass by' in the full expression. It also appears after lettere in the construction that describes what becomes easier.
komme In 'komme forbi', komme means 'come' or 'get' and, together with forbi, describes people getting past the line. The basic form is komme. The expression komme forbi is useful when someone needs to pass an obstacle or a group.
forbi In 'komme forbi', forbi means 'past' or 'by' and completes the meaning of getting past the line. It is useful with komme when describing movement past a person, place, or obstruction.
langt In 'langt nok', langt means 'far' and describes the distance of the moved position. The adjective's basic form is lang; langt is the form used here. Together with nok, it asks whether the distance is sufficient.
nok In 'langt nok', nok means 'enough' and shows that the distance may be sufficient. It follows langt here to express a sufficient degree. The same placement can be used when checking whether something reaches the needed amount or degree.
fri In 'fri passage', fri means 'clear' or 'unobstructed'. It describes the passage as available for people to use. The expression is useful when confirming that a route is not blocked.
passage In 'fri passage', passage means 'passage' or 'path', referring to the route through which people can move. Together with fri, it describes a clear route. It is useful when talking about access through a crowded area.
nu In 'Der er fri passage nu.', nu means 'now' and marks the current situation after space has been made. It is commonly placed at the end of a statement to emphasize that a condition has changed.
kan In 'Jeg kan stille mig tættere på væggen.', kan means 'can' and expresses the speaker's ability or possibility to take that position. The basic form is kunne. Kan is commonly followed by an action in its basic form.
stille In 'stille mig tættere på væggen', stille means 'place' or 'position' and describes deliberately taking a position. With mig, it means positioning oneself. It is useful when explaining where someone will stand or place themselves.
tættere In 'tættere på væggen', tættere means 'closer' and compares the new position with the previous one. The basic adjective is tæt; tættere is the comparative form. The pattern tættere på + a place or object is used to describe moving nearer to it.
på In 'tættere på væggen', på means 'to' or 'against' and marks the wall as the reference point for the distance. The pattern tættere på + a place or object is useful when describing a position nearer to something.
væggen In 'på væggen', væggen means 'the wall', the reference point beside which the speaker can stand. The basic form is væg; væggen is the form used for the specific wall. Use it after på when describing this position in the scene.

Grammar Points

bliver + adjective

bliver trangt

BLEE-uh TRAHNGT

becomes cramped

After bliver, an adjective describes a new state; trangt is the neuter form of trang.

-ere comparative

bliver lettere

BLEE-uh LEH-thuh-ruh

becomes easier

The -ere ending forms a comparative: lettere means “easier” and compares two situations.

Danish Vocabulary

blive verb
BLEE-vuh become; get bliver
flytte sig phrase
FLUR-tuh sai move oneself flytte mig
folk noun
FOLL people
give verb
GHEE-vuh give; leave
komme forbi phrase
KOM-uh fohr-BEE pass by; get past
kø noun
KUR line; queue køen
let adj
LAYTH easy lettere
lidt det
LEHD a little; some
plads noun
PLASS space; room
side noun
SEE-thuh side siden
tilbage adv
tuh-BAIR-wuh back; backwards
trang adj
TRAHNG cramped; crowded trangt

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

This line is getting really crowded.

Show AnswerDer bliver virkelig trangt i køen.

Should I move back a little?

Show AnswerSkal jeg flytte mig lidt tilbage?

Is this far enough?

Show AnswerEr det langt nok?

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

a little; some

Show Answerlidt

give; leave

Show Answergive

cramped; crowded

Show Answertrangt

space; room

Show Answerplads