Talking about a sore throat | Learn Danish in English

About This Lesson

Use Talking about a sore throat to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Min hals føles lidt øm.

min HALS FUH-ləs liht UHM. My throat feels a little sore.

Prøv at drikke noget varmt.

pruhv ad DREH-guh NOH-uh Vahrmd. Try drinking something warm.

Kan du lave noget te til mig?

kan doo LAY-vuh NOH-uh tay til may? Could you make me some tea?

Jeg laver noget te nu.

yai LAY-vuh NOH-uh tay noo. I'll make some now.

Min stemme lyder mærkelig i dag.

min STEM-uh LOO-uh MAIR-kə-lee ee DAI. My voice sounds strange today.

Prøv at tale mindre lige nu.

pruhv ad TAI-luh MEN-uh LEE-uh noo. Try to speak less for now.

Jeg vil hvile mig, når jeg har drukket teen.

yai veel-uh sai, nohr yai hah DROO-gud tay-en. I'll rest after I drink it.

Det skulle hjælpe på din hals.

deh SKOO-luh YEL-buh poh deen HALS. That should help your throat.

Word by Word

Min “Min” means “my” here and shows that the throat belongs to the speaker. It is placed before “hals” in “Min hals”. This is useful when identifying something belonging to yourself, such as a body part.

hals “Hals” means “throat” in “Min hals føles lidt øm.” It is the body part being described as sore. You can reuse it after a possessive such as “Min hals” or “din hals”.

føles “Føles” means “feels” here: the throat has a sore sensation. It is used with the thing that has the sensation as the subject, as in “Min hals føles”. This pattern is useful for describing how a body part or object feels.

lidt “Lidt” means “a little” and makes the soreness less strong in “lidt øm”. It comes before the word it limits here. Use it to describe a small amount or degree.

øm “Øm” means sore or tender in “Min hals føles lidt øm.” It describes the throat’s uncomfortable condition. This word is useful when reporting mild physical soreness.

Prøv “Prøv” means “try” here and gives a suggestion or gentle instruction. In “Prøv at drikke noget varmt”, it is followed by “at” and an action. You can use this form when suggesting that someone do something.

at “At” marks the action that follows “Prøv” in “Prøv at drikke”. It connects the suggestion with the action of drinking. A useful pattern is “Prøv at” followed by an action.

drikke “Drikke” means “drink” in “at drikke noget varmt”. It is the action suggested for the person with a sore throat. It follows “at” in this expression.

noget “Noget” means “something” or “some” in “noget varmt” and “noget te”. Here it refers to an unspecified thing or amount. It is useful before a description such as “noget varmt”.

varmt “Varmt” means “warm” in “noget varmt”. It describes the unspecified thing that the person is encouraged to drink. The pattern “noget” plus a description is useful when the exact thing is not specified.

Kan “Kan” means “can” and helps form the polite request “Kan du lave noget te til mig?” At the beginning of this question, it asks whether the other person is able or willing to do something. Use “Kan du” to make a request.

du “Du” means “you” and identifies the person being asked in “Kan du lave noget te til mig?” It comes after “Kan” in this question. It is used when speaking directly to one person.

lave “Lave” means “make” or “prepare” in “lave noget te”. It names the requested action, with “noget te” as what is being prepared. A useful pattern is “lave” followed by the thing someone prepares.

te “Te” means “tea” in “noget te”. It is the drink the speaker asks the other person to prepare. It can be used after “noget” when referring to some tea.

til “Til” means “for” or “to” in “til mig”. It introduces the person who will receive the tea. The reusable phrase is “til” followed by a person.

mig “Mig” means “me” after “til” in “til mig”. It identifies the person for whom the tea is being made. Use it after “til” when referring to yourself as the recipient.

Jeg “Jeg” means “I” and is the subject in “Jeg laver noget te nu.” It identifies the speaker as the person making the tea. It is used at the start of a statement about your own action.

laver “Laver” means “make” or “am making” in “Jeg laver noget te nu.” Here it describes the speaker’s current action of preparing tea. It is useful with an object such as “noget te”.

nu “Nu” means “now” and places the action in the present moment in “Jeg laver noget te nu.” It commonly appears at the end of a short statement. Use it when emphasizing that something is happening at this time.

stemme “Stemme” means “voice” in “Min stemme lyder mærkelig i dag.” It is the thing whose sound is being described. You can use it with a possessive such as “Min stemme” or “din stemme”.

lyder “Lyder” means “sounds” in “Min stemme lyder mærkelig.” It describes how the voice is perceived by hearing. A useful pattern is “X lyder” followed by a description of the sound.

mærkelig “Mærkelig” means “strange” in “lyder mærkelig”. It describes the unusual sound of the speaker’s voice. It is useful after “lyder” when something sounds unusual.

i “I” means “in” as part of the time expression “i dag”. Together, “i dag” means “today”. Use this fixed expression to say when something is happening on the current day.

dag “Dag” means “day” in the expression “i dag”, which means “today”. In this dialogue it places the unusual voice in the current day. The expression “i dag” is used for talking about today.

tale “Tale” means “speak” in “Prøv at tale mindre”. It is the action that the other person is advised to reduce. It follows “at” in the pattern “Prøv at tale”.

mindre “Mindre” means “less” in “tale mindre”. It indicates a reduced amount of speaking. Use it after an action when advising someone to do that action to a lesser degree.

lige “Lige” contributes the meaning “right” or “just” in the expression “lige nu”. Together, “lige nu” means “right now”. This expression is useful when referring to the immediate present.

vil “Vil” means “will” or expresses an intention in “Jeg vil hvile mig”. It introduces what the speaker intends to do after drinking the tea. It is followed here by the action “hvile”.

hvile “Hvile” means “rest” in “hvile mig”. It describes the speaker’s planned action after drinking the tea. A useful pattern here is “vil hvile” followed by the person who rests.

når “Når” means “when” and introduces the time condition in “når jeg har drukket teen”. It connects the later action with the point at which the tea has been drunk. Use it to introduce a time clause.

har “Har” means “have” in the expression “har drukket”. Here it helps refer to drinking that will be completed before the next action. It is followed by “drukket” in this clause.

drukket “Drukket” means “drunk” or “consumed” in “har drukket teen”. The citation form is “drikke”; “drukket” is the form used here after “har”. It refers specifically to consuming the tea.

teen “Teen” means “the tea” in “har drukket teen”. It refers to the particular tea that was made earlier. The form is related to “te” and identifies that specific tea.

Det “Det” means “that” or “it” in “Det skulle hjælpe på din hals.” It refers to what has just been discussed, namely the suggested care or action. It is placed at the beginning as the subject of the reassurance.

skulle “Skulle” expresses “should” in “Det skulle hjælpe på din hals.” Here it gives a gentle expectation or reassurance that the action will help. It is followed by “hjælpe”.

hjælpe “Hjælpe” means “help” in “skulle hjælpe”. It describes the expected beneficial effect on the throat. It follows “skulle” in this expression.

på “På” is part of “hjælpe på din hals”, linking the help to the affected throat. The whole expression means that something should help with the throat problem. Keep “på” together with the area or problem it relates to.

din “Din” means “your” in “din hals”. It shows that the throat belongs to the person being addressed. It is placed before “hals” in this possessive phrase.

Grammar Points

føles + adjective

Hals føles lidt øm.

HALS FUH-ləs liht UHM.

The throat feels a little sore.

After føles, use an adjective such as øm to describe how something feels. lidt is an adverb modifying the adjective.

lyder + adjective

Stemme lyder mærkelig.

STEM-uh LOO-uh MAIR-kə-lee.

The voice sounds strange.

After lyder, use an adjective such as mærkelig to describe the subject, not an adverb.

Danish Vocabulary

drikke verb

DREH-guh drink

føles verb

FUH-ləs feels

hals noun

HALS throat

Gender: common

lave verb

LAY-vuh make

lidt adv

liht a little

lyder verb

LOO-uh sounds

mærkelig adj

MAIR-kə-lee strange

Gender: common

prøv verb

pruhv try

stemme noun

STEM-uh voice

Gender: common

te noun

tay tea

Gender: common

varmt adj

Vahrmd warm

Gender: neuter

øm adj

UHM sore; tender

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

My throat feels a little sore.

Show Answer

Min hals føles lidt øm.

Try drinking something warm.

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Prøv at drikke noget varmt.

I'll make some now.

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Jeg laver noget te nu.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

drink

Show Answer

drikke

a little

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lidt

feels

Show Answer

føles

try

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prøv