Asking for a library book recommendation | Learn Danish in English

About This Lesson

Use Asking for a library book recommendation to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Kan du anbefale en bog til sprogstuderende?

kan doo an-beh-FAIR-leh uhn boh tehl SPROH-stoo-uh-ren-uh? Could you recommend a book for language learners?

Leder du efter lette historier eller korte artikler?

LEH-uh doo EF-ter LET-uh his-TOH-uh uh-ler KOR-thuh ar-TEE-gul? Are you looking for easy stories or short articles?

Jeg vil gerne have korte historier med enkle ord.

yai vel GAIR-nuh HEH-vuh KOR-thuh his-TOH-uh meh ENG-luh ohr. I want short stories with simple words.

Denne bog har historier, der er nemme at forstå, og nyttige billeder.

DEN-uh boh hah his-TOH-uh, dair air NEM-uh ed faw-STOH, oh NUH-thee-uh BELL-uh-thuh. This book has easy-to-understand stories and helpful pictures.

Må jeg tage den med hjem i dag?

moh yai TAY-uh den meh YEM ee day? Can I take it home today?

Vis venligst dit lånerkort ved skranken.

vees VEN-leest deeth LOH-nuh-kort veh SGRANG-un. Please show your library card at the desk.

Jeg låner den nu.

yai LOH-nuh den noo. I will check it out now.

Kom tilbage efter en anden anbefaling, når du er færdig med den.

kom teh-BAY-uh EF-ter uhn AN-un an-beh-FAIR-leeng, naw doo air FAIR-dee meh den. Come back for another recommendation after you finish it.

Word by Word

Kan “Kan” means “can” here and begins a polite request: “Kan du anbefale en bog til sprogstuderende?” It is commonly used with “du” before a request or question.

du “du” means “you” and refers to the person being asked. In “Kan du anbefale en bog til sprogstuderende?”, it identifies who should recommend the book; a common pattern is “Kan du ...?” for a polite request.

anbefale “anbefale” means “recommend” in “Kan du anbefale en bog til sprogstuderende?” It names the requested action and is used with the thing being recommended, such as “anbefale en bog”.

en “en” means “a” in “en bog” and introduces one unspecified book. It is used directly before the noun in this phrase.

bog “bog” means “book” in this library conversation. In “en bog til sprogstuderende”, it is the item being recommended; the reusable phrase “låne en bog” means to borrow a book.

til “til” means “for” in “en bog til sprogstuderende”, showing who the book is intended for. A common pattern is “noget til ...” for something meant for a person or group.

sprogstuderende “sprogstuderende” means “language learners” in “en bog til sprogstuderende”. It identifies the intended readers, and the same noun can be used after “til” when describing material for language learners.

Leder “Leder” means “are looking” in “Leder du efter lette historier eller korte artikler?” Together with “efter”, it asks what kind of material the person wants; “Leder du efter ...?” is a useful pattern for asking what someone is seeking.

efter “efter” means “for” in “Leder du efter lette historier” and completes the expression for looking for something. Later, “efter en anden anbefaling” uses the same word with the meaning “after”, so the surrounding words determine the meaning.

lette “lette” means “easy” in “lette historier”. It describes the stories as not difficult, and it is placed before the noun it describes in this phrase.

historier “historier” means “stories” in “lette historier”. It is one of the two types of reading material offered, and a common pattern is an adjective followed by a noun, as in “korte historier”.

eller “eller” means “or” and presents a choice between “lette historier” and “korte artikler”. It is used to connect alternative words or phrases in a question.

korte “korte” means “short” in “korte artikler” and describes the articles’ length. It comes directly before the plural noun it describes.

artikler “artikler” means “articles” in “korte artikler”. It is the second reading option in the librarian’s question and can be used after a describing word such as “korte”.

Jeg “Jeg” means “I” in “Jeg vil gerne have korte historier med enkle ord.” It identifies the speaker, and a common sentence pattern begins with “Jeg” followed by what the speaker wants or does.

vil “vil” expresses “want” in “Jeg vil gerne have korte historier med enkle ord.” The pattern “Jeg vil gerne have ...” is used to say what you would like to have.

gerne “gerne” helps make “Jeg vil gerne have ...” mean “I would like to have ...” in a polite, natural way. It is used after “vil” in this request pattern.

have “have” means “have” in “Jeg vil gerne have korte historier med enkle ord.” It introduces the thing the speaker would like to receive, and the pattern is “vil gerne have” plus an object.

med “med” means “with” in “korte historier med enkle ord”. It links the stories to the simple words they contain or use; a common pattern is “noget med ...” for something involving or containing something else.

enkle “enkle” means “simple” in “enkle ord”. It describes the words used in the stories and comes before the noun it describes.

ord “ord” means “words” in “historier med enkle ord”. It names the language material the speaker wants the stories to use, and it follows “med” in this phrase.

Denne “Denne” means “this” in “Denne bog har historier ...” and points to the book being discussed. It is placed before “bog” to identify a particular book.

har “har” means “has” in “Denne bog har historier ...”. It introduces the contents or features of the book, and a common pattern is “noget har ...” followed by what it contains.

der “der” introduces the describing clause “der er nemme at forstå” after “historier”. It links the stories to information about them, rather than naming a separate object.

er “er” means “are” in “der er nemme at forstå” and describes the stories as easy to understand. It is used before the description in this clause.

nemme “nemme” means “easy” in “historier, der er nemme at forstå”. It describes how difficult the stories are to understand, and the pattern “er nemme at ...” can describe an activity that is easy to do.

at “at” marks the infinitive in “at forstå”, meaning “to understand”. It is placed directly before the verb in this construction.

forstå “forstå” means “understand” in “nemme at forstå”. It names the activity that the stories are easy to do, and the reusable pattern is “nem at forstå” for something easy to understand.

og “og” means “and” and connects the easy-to-understand stories with the helpful pictures. It joins two related parts of the book’s description.

nyttige “nyttige” means “helpful” or “useful” in “nyttige billeder”. It describes the pictures as useful to the learner and comes before the noun it describes.

billeder “billeder” means “pictures” in “nyttige billeder”. It names another helpful feature of the book and is used after the describing word “nyttige”.

Må “Må” means “may” in “Må jeg tage den med hjem i dag?” and asks for permission. “Må jeg ...?” is a common pattern for asking whether you are allowed to do something.

tage “tage” means “take” in “tage den med hjem”. It describes moving the book with the speaker to home, and the pattern “tage noget med hjem” means to take something home.

den “den” means “it” or “that one” here and refers to the book in “Må jeg tage den med hjem i dag?” It is used as the object of “tage” when the item is already known.

hjem “hjem” means “home” in “tage den med hjem”. It indicates the destination, and “tage noget med hjem” is a reusable expression for taking something home.

i “i” is part of the time expression “i dag”, which means “today”. In this dialogue it introduces the day when the speaker wants to take the book home.

dag “dag” means “day” in the exact expression “i dag”, meaning “today”. The expression “i dag” is used to refer to the current day.

Vis “Vis” means “show” in “Vis venligst dit lånerkort ved skranken.” It gives a polite instruction when the librarian asks the visitor to present the card.

venligst “venligst” means “please” in “Vis venligst dit lånerkort”. It softens the instruction, and it commonly appears with a request or command.

dit “dit” means “your” in “dit lånerkort” and shows that the library card belongs to the person being addressed. It is placed before the noun it describes.

lånerkort “lånerkort” means “library card” in “dit lånerkort”. It is the card the visitor must show at the desk, and “vise et lånerkort” is a useful pattern when presenting a library card.

ved “ved” means “at” or “by” in “ved skranken”, identifying the place where the card should be shown. A common pattern is “ved” followed by a place or point such as a desk or counter.

skranken “skranken” means “the desk” or “the counter” in “ved skranken”. It refers to the library service desk, and “ved skranken” can be used when describing something happening at that desk.

låner “låner” means “borrow” or “check out” in “Jeg låner den nu.” It describes borrowing the book from the library, and a common pattern is “låne en bog” for borrowing a book.

nu “nu” means “now” in “Jeg låner den nu.” It shows that the borrowing is happening at the present time and is commonly placed at the end of a short statement.

Kom “Kom” means “come” in “Kom tilbage efter en anden anbefaling”. It invites or tells the listener to return, and “Kom tilbage” is a common expression for come back.

tilbage “tilbage” means “back” in “Kom tilbage”. Together, the expression tells the listener to return to the library or desk; it commonly follows a movement verb such as “Kom”.

anden “anden” means “another” in “en anden anbefaling”. It indicates a recommendation different from the first one and comes before the noun it describes.

anbefaling “anbefaling” means “recommendation” in “en anden anbefaling”. It refers to a future book suggestion, and it can be used after “en” when naming one recommendation.

når “når” means “when” in “når du er færdig med den”. It introduces the condition or time for returning, and it commonly begins a clause describing when something should happen.

færdig “færdig” means “finished” or “done” in “du er færdig med den”. The whole expression means that you have finished with the book, and “være færdig med ...” is a reusable pattern for completing something.

Grammar Points

Leder du efter ...?

Leder du efter enkle historier?

LEH-uh doo EF-ter ENG-luh his-TOH-uh?

Are you looking for simple stories?

In Danish questions, the verb comes before the subject: Leder du, not Du leder.

Adjektiv i flertal: -e

enkle ord

ENG-luh ohr

simple words

Adjectives take -e before plural nouns: enkel becomes enkle with ord.

Danish Vocabulary

anbefale verb

an-beh-FAIR-leh recommend

Kan du anbefale en bog?

artikel noun

ar-TEE-gul article artikler

Gender: common

korte artikler

bog noun

boh book

Gender: common

en bog

enkel adj

ENG-gul simple enkle

enkle ord

gerne adv

GAIR-nuh gladly; would like to

Jeg vil gerne have

have verb

HEH-vuh have; want

Jeg vil gerne have korte historier

historie noun

his-TOH-uh story historier

Gender: common

korte historier

kort adj

KOR-th short korte

korte artikler

lede efter phrase

LEH-uh EF-ter look for Leder du efter

Leder du efter lette historier?

let adj

LETH easy lette

lette historier

ord noun

ohr word

Gender: neuter

enkle ord

sprogstuderende noun

SPROH-stoo-uh-ren-uh language learner

til sprogstuderende

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Please show your library card at the desk.

Show Answer

Vis venligst dit lånerkort ved skranken.

I will check it out now.

Show Answer

Jeg låner den nu.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

gladly; would like to

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gerne

article

Show Answer

artikler

story

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historier

recommend

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anbefale