Talking about a headache at home | Learn Danish in English

About This Lesson

Use Talking about a headache at home to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Jeg har lidt hovedpine.

yigh hahr lith HOH-vuh-PEE-nuh. I have a slight headache.

Sæt dig ned et øjeblik og hvil øjnene.

SEHD DAI NAYTH ehd UR-yuh-BLEHK aw VILL OY-nuh-nuh. Sit down for a minute and rest your eyes.

Kan du hente noget vand til mig?

KAN doo HEN-duh NOH-thuh VAN(d) tell MY? Could you bring me some water?

Her, tag små slurke af det.

HAIR, TEH SMOH SLOOR-guh uh DEH. Here, sip it slowly.

Jeg føler mig også lidt træt.

yigh FUH-luh MY AW-suh lith TREH(D). I feel a little tired too.

Du kan lægge dig ned i dette stille rum.

doo KAN LEH-guh DAI NAYTH ee DEH-duh SDEH-luh ROOM. You can lie down in this quiet room.

Jeg håber, jeg snart får det bedre.

yigh HOH-buh, yigh SNAH(D) FOH DEH BEH-thruh. I hope I feel better soon.

Bliv her, og ring til mig, hvis du har brug for noget.

BLEE-wuh HAIR, aw RENG tell MY, VESS doo hahr BROO FOH NOH-thuh. Stay here, and call me if you need anything.

Word by Word

Jeg “Jeg” means “I” here and identifies the speaker as the person with the headache. A common reuse pattern is “Jeg har ...” when talking about something you have or experience. Use it when referring to yourself.

har In “Jeg har lidt hovedpine”, “har” means “have” and describes the speaker’s condition. The citation form is “at have”; “har” is the form used here with “Jeg”. Reuse “Jeg har” with a thing or condition.

lidt “Lidt” means “a little” and softens the description of the headache in “lidt hovedpine”. It is placed before the thing or quality it limits. Use “lidt” when describing a small amount or slight degree.

hovedpine “Hovedpine” means “headache”, the symptom the speaker reports in “Jeg har lidt hovedpine”. Reuse it in the pattern “Jeg har ... hovedpine” when describing this symptom. You would use it when telling someone about pain in your head.

Sæt “Sæt” is a command meaning “sit” in “Sæt dig ned”. With “dig ned”, it tells someone to move into a sitting position. The citation form is “at sætte”; use “Sæt ... ned” to give this instruction.

dig “Dig” refers to the person being told to sit in “Sæt dig ned”; here it means “yourself”. It is part of the command “Sæt dig ned”, not a separate instruction. Use it when the action is directed back at the person doing it.

ned “Ned” means “down” and gives the direction in “Sæt dig ned”. The same directional word appears in “lægge dig ned”, where it helps express lying down. Use “ned” with an action that moves someone or something downward.

et In “et øjeblik”, “et” means “a” and forms the expression “a moment”. It comes directly before “øjeblik” in this short time expression. Reuse “et øjeblik” when asking someone to wait or describing a brief time.

øjeblik “Øjeblik” means “moment” in “et øjeblik”. Together with “et”, it refers to a short period of time. Use “et øjeblik” in situations involving a brief wait or pause.

og “Og” means “and” and connects the instructions “Sæt dig ned” and “hvil øjnene”. It shows that the listener is being asked to do both actions. Reuse it to join two actions or pieces of information.

hvil “Hvil” is a command meaning “rest” in “hvil øjnene”. Here it tells the listener to rest their eyes. The citation form is “at hvile”; use “hvil” when directly asking someone to rest.

øjnene “Øjnene” means “the eyes” in “hvil øjnene”. The citation form is “øje”; “øjnene” is the form used here for the eyes being rested. Reuse it with an action involving the eyes, such as “hvil øjnene”.

Kan At the start of “Kan du hente noget vand til mig?”, “Kan” means “can” and makes a polite request. It is followed by “du” and the infinitive “hente”. Reuse “Kan du” when asking another person to do something.

du “Du” means “you” and identifies the person being asked in “Kan du hente noget vand til mig?”. It is the subject of the request. Use it when speaking directly to one person.

hente “Hente” means “bring” or “fetch” in “Kan du hente noget vand til mig?”. It is used after “Kan du” to name the requested action. Reuse “hente noget til mig” when asking someone to fetch something for you.

noget “Noget” means “some” in “noget vand”, referring to an unspecified amount of water. It comes before “vand” in this request. Reuse “noget” before an unspecified thing or amount when making a request.

vand “Vand” means “water”, the drink being requested in “noget vand”. It is the thing that the other person is asked to fetch. Use it when asking for or talking about water.

til In “til mig”, “til” means “for” and marks the person who will receive the water. It links the fetched item with its recipient. Reuse “til” before a person when something is intended for or given to them.

mig “Mig” means “me” in “hente noget vand til mig” and identifies the speaker as the recipient of the water. It follows “til” in this phrase. Use it when referring to yourself as the person affected or receiving something.

Her “Her” means “here” or “here you are” as someone hands over the water in “Her, tag små slurke af det”. It draws the listener’s attention to what is being offered. Use “Her” when presenting or handing something to someone.

tag “Tag” is a command meaning “take” in “tag små slurke af det”; in this context it introduces the action of taking sips. It is followed by what the person should take. The citation form is “at tage”; use “Tag ...” for a direct instruction.

små “Små” means “small” and describes the sips in “små slurke”. It comes before the noun it describes. Reuse “små” before a plural thing when referring to small individual amounts or items.

slurke “Slurke” means “sips” in “tag små slurke af det”. The citation form is “slurk”; “slurke” is the form used for the sips being taken. Reuse “tag små slurke” when telling someone to drink slowly in small amounts.

af In “slurke af det”, “af” means “of” and connects the sips with the drink they come from. It is an important part of the expression “tage slurke af ...”. Reuse “slurke af” before the drink or substance being sipped.

det “Det” means “it” in “af det” and refers back to the water that was just offered. It avoids repeating “vand”. Reuse “det” when referring to a previously mentioned thing.

føler “Føler” means “feel” in “Jeg føler mig også lidt træt”. It describes the speaker’s experience together with “mig”. Reuse “Jeg føler mig” followed by a description of how you feel.

også “Også” means “also” or “too” and adds tiredness as another thing the speaker is experiencing. In “Jeg føler mig også lidt træt”, it shows that this is in addition to the headache. Use it when adding a similar or additional fact.

træt “Træt” means “tired” in “føler mig også lidt træt”. It describes the speaker’s condition after “føler mig”. Reuse “føler mig ... træt” when telling someone that you feel tired.

lægge In “lægge dig ned”, “lægge” contributes the action of lying down. It is the infinitive used after “kan”, and the full expression tells the listener they may lie down. Reuse “lægge sig ned” when describing or suggesting that someone lie down.

dette “Dette” means “this” in “dette stille rum” and points to the specific room being offered as a place to rest. It comes before the description and noun. Reuse “dette” when identifying a particular thing or place nearby or under discussion.

stille “Stille” means “quiet” and describes the room in “dette stille rum”. It comes before “rum” to show that the room is suitable for rest. Reuse “stille” before a place or thing when describing a lack of noise.

rum “Rum” means “room”, the place where the person can lie down in “dette stille rum”. It is the location after “i”. Use it when talking about an indoor space or room.

håber “Håber” means “hope” in “Jeg håber, jeg snart får det bedre”. It introduces a desired or expected improvement. The citation form is “at håbe”; reuse “Jeg håber” before a clause about what you wish will happen.

snart “Snart” means “soon” and places the hoped-for improvement in the near future in “snart får det bedre”. It comes before the action or change being discussed. Use it when referring to something expected in a short time.

får det bedre “Får det bedre” means “feel better” or “get better” as a whole in “jeg snart får det bedre”. “Får” contributes “gets”, “det” refers to the person’s situation, and “bedre” means “better”; together they express improvement. Reuse “får det bedre” when talking about recovering or beginning to feel better.

Bliv “Bliv” is a command meaning “stay” in “Bliv her”. It asks the listener not to leave the place. The citation form is “at blive”; use “Bliv” when telling someone to remain somewhere.

ring “Ring” means “call” in “ring til mig”. It is a command telling the listener to make contact by phone. The citation form is “at ringe”; reuse “ring til” before the person you want someone to call.

hvis “Hvis” means “if” and introduces the condition “du har brug for noget”. It connects a possible need with the instruction to call. Reuse “hvis” before a condition or situation that may occur.

brug for “Brug for” expresses “need” as part of “har brug for noget”. “Brug” and “for” work together here: the expression links a person with the thing they need. Reuse “har brug for” followed by a noun or pronoun when saying that someone needs something.

Grammar Points

Imperativ: kort verbumsform

Sæt dig ned.

SEHD DAI NAYTH.

Sit down.

Danish commands use a short verb form without a subject: sæt, hvil, tag, ring eller bliv.

har brug for + substantiv

Har brug for vand.

HAHR BROO FOH VAN(d).

Need water.

Use the fixed phrase har brug for before a noun to express need; it is not one single verb.

Danish Vocabulary

dig pron

DAI you

et øjeblik phrase

ehth UR-yuh-BLEHK a moment

har verb

HAHR have

hente verb

HEN-duh bring; fetch

hovedpine noun

HOH-vuh-PEE-nuh headache

hvile verb

VEE-luh rest hvil

lidt adv

lith a little; slight

ned adv

NAYTH down

noget pron

NOH-thuh some; something

sætte verb

SEH-duh sit; set Sæt

vand noun

VAN(d) water

øjnene noun

OY-nuh-nuh the eyes

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I have a slight headache.

Show Answer

Jeg har lidt hovedpine.

Here, sip it slowly.

Show Answer

Her, tag små slurke af det.

I feel a little tired too.

Show Answer

Jeg føler mig også lidt træt.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

headache

Show Answer

hovedpine

the eyes

Show Answer

øjnene

rest

Show Answer

hvil

a little; slight

Show Answer

lidt