Checking a message before sending | Learn Danish in English

Danish lesson set in a contemporary Copenhagen everyday setting: In a daily life setting, two adults check a message for clarity and a small spelling mistake before sending it..

EN → DA / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Checking a message before sending to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Kan du tjekke denne besked?

kan doo CHEK-uh DEN-uh beh-SKAYTH? Can you check this message?
B

Jeg kan læse den nu.

yai kan LAY-suh den noo. I can read it now.
A

Ser beskeden tydelig ud?

sair beh-SKAY-thn TYOO-thuh-lee ooth? Does it look clear?
B

Hovedpointen er nem at forstå.

HOH-thuh-POYN-ten air nem ad for-STOH. The main point is easy to understand.
A

Kan du se nogen fejl?

kan doo say NOH-en fyle? Do you see any mistakes?
B

Jeg kan se én lille stavefejl nær slutningen.

yai kan say ayn LIL-uh STAY-vuh-FYLE nair SLOOT-ning-en. I see one small spelling mistake near the end.
A

Jeg retter den nu.

yai RED-uh den noo. I will fix that now.
B

Efter det burde den være klar til at sende.

EF-tuh dayth BOO-thuh den vair klahr teel uh SEN-uh. After that, it should be ready to send.

Word by Word

Kan “Kan” means “can” in “Kan du tjekke denne besked?” and is used to ask whether someone is able or willing to do something. It comes before the person and the action, as in “Kan du ...?” You can use this pattern when asking someone to check, read, or do something.
du “du” means “you” in “Kan du tjekke denne besked?” and refers to the person being addressed. It commonly appears after “Kan” in a question asking someone to do something. Use “du” when speaking directly to one person.
tjekke “tjekke” means “check” in “Kan du tjekke denne besked?” It follows “Kan du” and names the action being requested. A reusable pattern is “Kan du tjekke ...?” when asking someone to check a message, document, or detail.
denne “denne” means “this” in “denne besked” and points to the particular message being discussed. It comes directly before the noun it describes. Use “denne” when identifying one specific nearby thing.
besked “besked” means “message” in “denne besked.” Here it refers to the message that the two people are checking. It can be used after a word such as “denne” to identify a particular message.
Jeg “Jeg” means “I” in “Jeg kan læse den nu.” It marks the speaker as the person who can read the message. Use “Jeg” at the beginning when describing your own action or ability.
læse “læse” means “read” in “Jeg kan læse den nu.” It follows “kan” and names the action the speaker is able to do. A reusable pattern is “Jeg kan læse ...” when saying that you can read a message, text, or document.
den “den” means “it” in “Jeg kan læse den nu” and refers back to the message. It is placed after “læse” as the thing being read. Use “den” to refer back to the message when its identity is already clear.
nu “nu” means “now” in “Jeg kan læse den nu.” It shows that the reading is possible at the present time. It commonly comes at the end of a short sentence to specify when something happens.
Ser “Ser” contributes the meaning “looks” in the question “Ser beskeden tydelig ud?” The sentence asks about the message’s appearance or clarity, with “beskeden” following the verb because it is a question. Use this question pattern when asking whether something looks clear.
beskeden “beskeden” means “the message” in “Ser beskeden tydelig ud?” It refers to the specific message being checked. The related form “besked” means “message,” while “beskeden” identifies the message as a particular one.
tydelig “tydelig” means “clear” in “Ser beskeden tydelig ud?” It describes how the message appears to the reader. Use it in the pattern “Ser ... tydelig ud?” when asking whether a message or explanation looks clear.
ud “ud” is part of “Ser beskeden tydelig ud?” and helps express how something looks or appears. Together, “Ser ... tydelig ud?” asks whether the message looks clear. Keep “ud” at the end of this appearance pattern.
Hovedpointen “Hovedpointen” means “the main point” in “Hovedpointen er nem at forstå.” It identifies the central idea of the message. Use it when referring to the most important idea in an explanation or message.
er “er” links “Hovedpointen” with its description in “Hovedpointen er nem at forstå.” Here it says what the main point is like. It is commonly used between a subject and a description.
nem “nem” means “easy” in “nem at forstå.” It describes the main point as easy for someone to understand. A reusable pattern is “[something] er nem at forstå” when an idea or instruction is easy to understand.
at “at” introduces the action in “nem at forstå,” giving the meaning “easy to understand.” It comes directly before “forstå” in this construction. Use “at” in the pattern “[something] er nem at ...” when describing an action that is easy to do.
forstå “forstå” means “understand” in “nem at forstå.” It names the action that is easy when the main point is clear. A reusable pattern is “nem at forstå” for an idea, message, or explanation.
se “se” means “see” in “Kan du se nogen fejl?” It is the action the speaker asks the other person to perform when looking for mistakes. Use “Kan du se ...?” when asking whether someone can see something.
nogen “nogen” means “any” in the question “Kan du se nogen fejl?” It asks whether there are mistakes without naming a specific number. It commonly comes before the thing being looked for in a question.
fejl “fejl” means “mistakes” or “errors” in “nogen fejl?” Here it refers to possible errors in the message. Use it after “nogen” when asking whether a text contains any mistakes.
lille “lille” means “small” in “én lille stavefejl.” It describes the spelling mistake as minor. It comes before the noun it describes, as in “lille stavefejl.”
stavefejl “stavefejl” means “spelling mistake” in “én lille stavefejl.” It identifies the specific kind of error found in the message. Use it when referring to an incorrect spelling in a message or other text.
nær “nær” means “near” in “nær slutningen.” It shows that the spelling mistake is located close to the end. Use “nær” before a place or point when describing something nearby.
slutningen “slutningen” means “the end” in “nær slutningen.” It identifies the final part of the message as the location of the mistake. The related form “slutning” means “end,” while “slutningen” refers to a particular end.
retter “retter” means “fix” or “correct” in “Jeg retter den nu.” It describes correcting the mistake in the message. Use “Jeg retter ...” when saying that you are correcting a specific error or text now.
Efter “Efter” means “after” in “Efter det burde den være klar til at sende.” It places the next situation after the correction just mentioned. Use “Efter det” to say what happens after a previously mentioned action or event.
det “det” means “that” in “Efter det” and refers to the correction mentioned just before. Together, “Efter det” means “after that.” Use it to connect the next step to an action or event already discussed.
burde “burde” means “should” in “burde den være klar til at sende.” It expresses an expectation that the message will be ready. It comes before “være” in this pattern when describing what is expected to be true.
være “være” means “be” in “burde den være klar til at sende.” It follows “burde” and connects the message with the description “klar.” Use “burde være ...” when saying what something should be like.
klar “klar” means “ready” in “klar til at sende.” It describes the message as ready for the next action. A reusable pattern is “[something] er klar til at ...” when something is ready for an intended action.
til “til” is part of “klar til at sende” and introduces the intended action. The whole expression means “ready to send.” Use “klar til at ...” before an action that is about to be carried out.
sende “sende” means “send” in “klar til at sende.” It names the action the message is ready for and follows “til at.” A reusable pattern is “klar til at sende” when a message or document is ready to be sent.

Grammar Points

Bestemt form med -en

hovedpointen

HOH-thuh-POYN-ten

the main point

Danish can mark “the” by adding -en to a common-gender noun: hovedpoint → hovedpointen.

Danish Vocabulary

besked noun
beh-SKAYTH message
den pron
den it
denne det
DEN-uh this
du pron
doo you
hovedpoint noun
HOH-thuh-POYN main point hovedpointen
jeg pron
yai I
læse verb
LAY-suh read
nem adj
nem easy
nu adv
noo now
se verb
say see; look ser
tjekke verb
CHEK-uh check
tydelig adj
TYOO-thuh-lee clear

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Can you check this message?

Show AnswerKan du tjekke denne besked?

I can read it now.

Show AnswerJeg kan læse den nu.

Does it look clear?

Show AnswerSer beskeden tydelig ud?

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

read

Show Answerlæse

check

Show Answertjekke

this

Show Answerdenne

message

Show Answerbesked