Getting a washing machine to start | Learn Danish in English

Danish lesson set in a contemporary Copenhagen everyday setting: In a shared laundry area, two adults check why a washing machine will not start and fix it by closing the door properly..

EN → DA / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Getting a washing machine to start to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Denne vaskemaskine vil ikke starte.

DEN-uh VAS-guh-mah-SHEE-nuh veeel EH-guh STAR-duh. This washing machine won't start.
B

Har du tjekket stikket og tændknappen?

HAH doo CHEH-guhd SDEH-guhd uh TEN-knap-uhn? Did you check the plug and the power button?
A

Stikket sidder i, men der sker ikke noget.

SDEH-guhd SEH-thuh ee, men dair skair EH-guh NOH-uth. The plug is in, but nothing happens.
B

Måske er døren ikke lukket ordentligt.

MAW-sguh air DUR-en EH-guh LOO-guhd OR-den-lee. Maybe the door isn't closed properly.
A

Der står i vejledningen, at døren skal klikke, før maskinen starter.

Dair STOR ee VY-luh-thneng, ad DUR-en skal KLEH-guh, fur mah-SHEE-nuhn STAR-duh. The instructions say it should click before it starts.
B

Tryk døren ind en gang til, og tryk så på start.

TRURK DUR-en en uhn GANG tell, uh TRURK saw poh STARD. Push the door once more, then press start.
A

Døren klikkede, og nu virker maskinen.

DUR-en KLEH-guh-thuh, uh NOO VAIR-guh mah-SHEE-nuhn. The door clicked, and now it works.
B

Nogle gange løser enkle tjek problemet.

NOH-luh GANG-uh LUR-suh ENG-luh CHEK proh-BLAY-muth. Sometimes simple checks solve the problem.

Word by Word

Denne “Denne” means “this” here and points to the specific washing machine being discussed. It is used before a noun when identifying one particular thing, such as an appliance being checked.
vaskemaskine “vaskemaskine” means “washing machine” here and names the appliance. It can be used as the noun after “Denne” when talking about a particular machine.
vil In “vil ikke starte”, “vil” says that the machine will not start or is refusing to start. The pattern “vil ikke” plus an action is useful when reporting that a person or thing will not carry out an action.
ikke “ikke” is the negation in “vil ikke starte”, making the statement negative. It commonly comes after a modal such as “vil” and before the following action when saying that something will not happen.
starte “starte” means “start” here and is the action the washing machine is not beginning. It is used after “vil” in “vil ikke starte” when describing the intended beginning of an activity.
Har “Har” is the auxiliary “have” in the question “Har du tjekket ...”, asking whether the checking has been done. The pattern “Har” plus a subject and a completed-action form is useful for asking about a check.
du “du” means “you” here and addresses the person being asked to check the plug and button. It is used as the subject in questions such as “Har du tjekket ...” when speaking directly to one person.
tjekket “tjekket” means “checked” here in “Har du tjekket ...” and refers to the checking being done. Its citation form is “tjekke”; “tjekket” is the form used with “Har” in a question about whether something has been checked.
stikket “stikket” means “the plug” here and is the item being checked in “Har du tjekket stikket ...”. It is the definite form of “stik”, used when referring to the particular plug involved in the situation.
og “og” means “and” and links “stikket” with “tændknappen” in the question. It is useful for joining two items or actions in one check or instruction.
tændknappen “tændknappen” means “the power button” here and names the second control to check. It is the definite form of “tændknap”, used for a specific button on an appliance.
sidder In “Stikket sidder i”, “sidder” describes the plug as being in place; together with “i”, the expression says that it is plugged in. This pattern is useful when reporting whether a plug is properly in its socket.
i Here “i” means “in” and completes “Stikket sidder i” to show the plug’s position. The pattern “sidder i” is useful for confirming that a plug or similar item is inserted.
men “men” means “but” and contrasts the plug being in with nothing happening. It joins two clauses when the second clause gives a contrasting result, as in this troubleshooting exchange.
der In “der sker ikke noget”, “der” is an introductory “there” for the statement about what happens; it does not point to a place. The pattern “Der sker ...” is useful for reporting whether anything is happening.
sker “sker” means “happens” here and reports an event or activity. It is the present form of “ske” in “der sker ikke noget”, a useful pattern for saying what is or is not happening.
noget “noget” means “something”, but in the expression “ikke noget” it contributes to the meaning “nothing”. It is useful when referring to an unspecified thing, and here it helps report that no activity is happening.
Måske “Måske” means “maybe” and marks the diagnosis about the door as uncertain. It commonly comes at the beginning of a suggestion or explanation when offering a possible cause of a problem.
er “er” means “is” here and links “døren” with the state “lukket”. The pattern “er” plus a state or description is useful when reporting the current condition of an object.
døren “døren” means “the door” here, specifically the washing-machine door. It is the definite form of “dør”, used when the listener knows which door is being discussed.
lukket “lukket” describes the door as closed in “døren ikke lukket ordentligt”; with “er”, it states the door’s condition. It is useful for reporting whether a door or similar object is closed.
ordentligt “ordentligt” means “properly” here and says that the door is not closed in the required way. It can be used after an action or state to say that it has been done correctly, such as when checking an appliance.
står “står” means “states” or “says” here in written instructions; in “Der står i vejledningen ...”, it introduces information found in the guide. The pattern “Der står i ...” is useful for reporting what a manual, sign, or other written source says.
vejledningen “vejledningen” means “the instructions” or “the guide” here, the written source being consulted. It is the definite form of “vejledning” and appears after “i” when referring to a specific guide.
at “at” means “that” here and introduces the content of what the instructions say in “Der står i vejledningen, at ...”. The pattern “... at” plus a clause is useful for reporting information or a statement from a source.
skal “skal” means “should” or “must” here and expresses the instruction’s requirement that the door click. It is followed by “klikke” in “skal klikke”, a useful pattern for stating what an object or person is expected to do.
klikke “klikke” means “click” here and describes the sound the door is expected to make. It follows “skal” in “skal klikke” when instructions specify a required action or result.
før “før” means “before” and places the machine’s start after the door’s click in time. It can introduce a clause in a sequence when explaining which event must happen first.
maskinen “maskinen” means “the machine” here and refers back to the washing machine. It is the definite form of “maskine”, used because the particular machine has already been identified.
starter “starter” means “starts” here and describes the machine beginning its operation. It is the present form of “starte” and is useful when reporting when a machine or activity begins.
Tryk “Tryk” means “push” or “press” here and gives a direct instruction to apply pressure to the door. It is the command form at the start of “Tryk døren ind”, useful when telling someone how to operate or adjust something.
ind “ind” means “in” or “inward” here and shows the direction of the push. In “Tryk døren ind”, it completes the instruction by saying that the door should be moved inward.
en In “en gang til”, “en” means “one” and helps count one additional occurrence; the whole phrase means “once more”. The pattern “en gang til” is useful when asking or instructing someone to repeat an action.
gang In “en gang til”, “gang” means “time” or “occurrence”, and with “en” and “til” it forms “once more”. It is useful for referring to a repeated occasion during a practical task.
til Here “til” appears in “en gang til” and marks an additional occurrence, giving the phrase the meaning “once more”. The reusable pattern “en gang til” is useful when an action needs to be repeated.
så “så” means “then” here and moves the instruction to the next step after pushing the door. It is useful for ordering actions in a sequence, with one instruction followed by another.
på “på” means “on” here, but in “tryk så på start” it is part of the expression for pressing a control. This pattern is useful when directing someone to press a button or another control on a machine.
start “start” names the start control or command in “tryk så på start”, so it is the thing being pressed. It is useful when directing someone to select a labeled start control on a machine.
klikkede “klikkede” means “clicked” here and reports the sound made by the door after it was pushed. It is the past form of “klikke”, useful for confirming that a mechanism made the expected click.
nu “nu” means “now” and marks the current result after the door clicked. It is useful for announcing a change in the present situation, as in “nu virker maskinen”.
virker “virker” means “works” or “functions” here and says that the washing machine is now operating. It is the present form of “virke” and is useful when reporting the current condition of a device.
Nogle In “Nogle gange”, “Nogle” means “some” and contributes to the frequency expression “sometimes”. It can be used before a plural noun or time expression when referring to some occasions, useful for making a general observation.
gange “gange” means “times” here and is the plural of “gang”; with “Nogle” it forms “Nogle gange”, meaning “sometimes”. It is useful for talking about repeated occasions or frequency.
løser “løser” means “solves” here and says that the simple checks resolve the problem. It is the present form of “løse”; a reusable pattern is a subject plus “løser” plus an object when describing what fixes a problem.
enkle “enkle” means “simple” here and describes the checks in “enkle tjek”. It is useful before a noun when giving practical troubleshooting advice about checks or actions.
tjek “tjek” means “checks” here and names the inspections carried out on the machine. It functions as the thing that can solve the problem, useful when discussing basic inspections during troubleshooting.
problemet “problemet” means “the problem” here and refers to the specific malfunction being discussed. It is the definite form of “problem”, used when the problem is already known to both speakers.

Grammar Points

Imperativ: tryk

Tryk.

TRURK.

Press.

The imperative uses the verb stem without a subject: trykke becomes Tryk.

Bestemt form: -en eller -et

stikket

SDEH-guhd

the plug

Danish often adds -en or -et to a noun to express “the,” depending on the noun’s gender.

Danish Vocabulary

dør noun
DUR door døren
Gender
common
Definite
true

Måske er døren ikke lukket ordentligt.

lukke verb
LOO-guh to close lukket

Døren er ikke lukket ordentligt.

måske adv
MAW-sguh maybe

Måske er døren ikke lukket ordentligt.

ordentligt adv
OR-den-lee properly

Døren er ikke lukket ordentligt.

sidde verb
SEH-thuh to be plugged in; to sit sidder

Stikket sidder i, men der sker ikke noget.

ske verb
SKAY to happen sker

Der sker ikke noget.

starte verb
STAR-duh to start

Denne vaskemaskine vil ikke starte.

stik noun
SDEK plug stikket
Gender
neuter
Definite
true

Har du tjekket stikket og tændknappen?

tjekke verb
CHEH-guh to check tjekket

Har du tjekket stikket og tændknappen?

tændknap noun
TEN-knab power button tændknappen
Gender
common
Definite
true

Har du tjekket stikket og tændknappen?

vaskemaskine noun
VAS-guh-mah-SHEE-nuh washing machine
Gender
common
Definite
false

Denne vaskemaskine vil ikke starte.

vejledning noun
VY-luh-thneng instructions; guide vejledningen
Gender
common
Definite
true

Der står i vejledningen, at døren skal klikke.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

This washing machine won't start.

Show AnswerDenne vaskemaskine vil ikke starte.

Did you check the plug and the power button?

Show AnswerHar du tjekket stikket og tændknappen?

Maybe the door isn't closed properly.

Show AnswerMåske er døren ikke lukket ordentligt.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

maybe

Show Answermåske

door

Show Answerdøren

to be plugged in; to sit

Show Answersidder

power button

Show Answertændknappen