Reading medicine label instructions | Learn Danish in English

About This Lesson

Use Reading medicine label instructions to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Jeg hentede denne medicin på apoteket.

yai HEN-duh TEH-nuh meh-deh-SEEN poh ah-poh-TEH-guhd. I picked up this medicine at the pharmacy.

Forklarede apotekeren dig instruktionerne?

for-KLAH-thuh ah-poh-TEH-gun dye in-strook-SHOH-nuh-nuh? Did the pharmacist explain the instructions?

På etiketten står der, at du skal tage den efter måltider.

Poh eh-tee-GEH-duhn stohr dah, ad doo skal TEH-uh den EF-duh MOHL-tee-thuh. The label says to take it after meals.

Så skal du ikke tage den før morgenmaden.

Soh skal doo EH-guh tye den FUHR MORN-may-thun. Then do not take it before breakfast.

Jeg er ikke sikker på dosen.

yai air EH-guh SAY-guh poh DOH-sun. I am not sure about the dose.

Ring til apoteket, hvis etiketten er uklar.

RENG tel ah-poh-TEH-guhd, vess eh-tee-GEH-duhn air OO-klah. Call the pharmacy if the label is unclear.

Det er sikrere end at gætte.

Deh air SAY-gruh-ruh en ad GEH-duh. That is safer than guessing.

Apotekeren kan fortælle dig den rigtige dosis, før du tager den.

Ah-poh-TEH-gun kan for-TEL-uh dye den REG-dee DOH-sis, fuhr doo TEH-uh den. The pharmacist can tell you the correct dose before you take it.

Word by Word

Jeg Jeg means “I” and is the subject of the speaker’s statement in “Jeg hentede denne medicin”. Use it as the subject before the verb when talking about your own actions. You would use it when telling someone what you did, for example when explaining that you picked up medicine.

hentede Hentede means “picked up” or “collected” in “Jeg hentede denne medicin”. It is the form of hente used for this completed action. A useful reuse pattern is Jeg hentede followed by the thing collected. Use it when telling someone that you collected something from a pharmacy, shop, or another place.

denne Denne means “this” and identifies the nearby medicine in “denne medicin”. It comes directly before the noun it points to. A useful pattern is denne followed by a noun. Use it when distinguishing one nearby or currently discussed item from others.

medicin Medicin means “medicine” in “denne medicin”. It is the thing that was picked up at the pharmacy. It can be used after a word such as denne to identify the medicine being discussed. Use it when talking about medicine in a health or pharmacy conversation.

på På means “at” in the location phrase “på apoteket”. Here it connects the action of picking up the medicine with the pharmacy as the place where it happened. A useful pattern is på followed by a place. Use it when saying where an action takes place.

apoteket Apoteket means “the pharmacy” in “på apoteket”. It is the definite form of apotek, referring to a specific pharmacy. It follows på to name the location. Use it when talking about going to, being at, or collecting something from the pharmacy.

Forklarede Forklarede means “explained” in the question “Forklarede apotekeren dig instruktionerne?”. It is the completed explanation being asked about, and it appears at the beginning because this is a question. A useful reuse pattern is a question beginning with Forklarede followed by the person and the information explained. Use it to ask whether someone explained something.

apotekeren Apotekeren means “the pharmacist” in “Forklarede apotekeren dig instruktionerne?”. It is the definite form of apoteker and identifies the specific pharmacy worker. Here it is the person who may have explained the instructions. Use it when referring to a pharmacist in a pharmacy or medicine-related conversation.

dig Dig means “you” or “to you” in “Forklarede apotekeren dig instruktionerne?”. It identifies the person who received the explanation. The same form appears after fortælle in “fortælle dig den rigtige dosis”. Use it when addressing one person as the recipient of information or an action.

instruktionerne Instruktionerne means “the instructions” in “dig instruktionerne”. It refers to the directions for using the medicine. It functions as the information that was explained. Use it when talking about specific instructions, such as directions printed on a medicine label.

etiketten Etiketten means “the label” in “På etiketten står der”. It is the definite form of etiket and refers to the label on the medicine. Here it identifies the place where the written directions appear. Use it when referring to a specific label containing information.

står Står means “says” or “is written” in “På etiketten står der”. Although its basic meaning is related to standing, this construction describes text that appears in writing. A useful reuse pattern is a source followed by står der when reporting what is written there. Use it when reading information from a label, sign, or document.

der Der is part of “står der” and helps introduce what the label says; it does not mean a physical place by itself here. The complete construction “På etiketten står der” means that something is written on the label. Use der in this kind of expression when presenting information that appears in a place or source.

at At means “that” in “står der, at du skal tage den”. It links the statement about what is written with the instruction that follows. A useful reuse pattern is står der, at followed by the reported information. Use it when reporting the content of a label, message, or statement.

du Du means “you” and is the person addressed in “du skal tage den”. It is the subject of the instruction about taking the medicine. A useful pattern is du skal followed by an action. Use it when giving or describing an instruction to one person.

skal Skal expresses “must”, “should”, or “are to” in “du skal tage den”. Here it gives the medicine label’s instruction rather than merely describing an action. It is followed by the action form tage. Use skal followed by an action when stating what someone is expected or instructed to do.

tage Tage means “take” in “skal tage den”. It names the action of taking the medicine and follows skal in the instruction. A useful reuse pattern is tage den when the object is already understood from context. Use it when giving directions about taking medicine or another item.

den Den means “it” in “tage den” and refers back to the medicine. It is the object of the action tage, so the listener knows what should be taken. A useful reuse pattern is a verb followed by den when the item has already been mentioned. Use it to avoid repeating the noun for the medicine.

efter Efter means “after” in “efter måltider”. It specifies when the medicine should be taken in relation to meals. A useful pattern is efter followed by an event or time reference. Use it when giving timing instructions connected to meals or other events.

måltider Måltider means “meals” in “efter måltider”. It identifies the meals that should happen before the medicine is taken. It follows efter to form the timing instruction. Use it when discussing meal times or medicine directions connected with meals.

Så Så means “then” in “Så skal du ikke tage den”. It connects the previous instruction with the advice that follows from it. A useful reuse pattern is beginning a follow-up instruction with Så. Use it when drawing a practical conclusion from something just said.

ikke Ikke means “not” in “skal du ikke tage den”. It makes the instruction negative and says that the medicine should not be taken at that time. It appears with the instruction around skal and tage. Use it when telling someone not to do an action.

før Før means “before” in “før morgenmaden”. It marks the time that must not come before taking the medicine. A useful pattern is før followed by an event or noun. Use it when describing the order of actions or times.

morgenmaden Morgenmaden means “breakfast” in “før morgenmaden”. It is the specific breakfast used as the time reference for the medicine instruction. It follows før to show when the medicine should not be taken. Use it when talking about actions connected with breakfast.

er Er means “is” or “am” and links a subject with a description or state in the dialogue, as in “etiketten er uklar” and “Jeg er ikke sikker”. It is used before an adjective or description. A useful reuse pattern is er followed by a description of a person or thing. Use it when stating what something is like or how someone feels.

sikker Sikker means “sure” or “certain” in “ikke sikker på dosen”. The phrase says that the speaker is not certain about the dose. A useful reuse pattern is sikker på followed by the thing someone is certain about. Use it when expressing confidence or uncertainty about information.

dosen Dosen means “the dose” in “sikker på dosen”. It is the definite form of dosis and refers to the specific amount of medicine being discussed. Here it follows på as the subject of the uncertainty. Use it when asking about or discussing a particular medicine dose.

Ring Ring means “call” in the instruction “Ring til apoteket”. It tells the listener to make a phone call. A useful reuse pattern is Ring til followed by the person or service to contact. Use it when advising someone to telephone a pharmacy or another service.

til Til means “to” in “Ring til apoteket”. It identifies the person or service that should receive the call. A useful reuse pattern is Ring til followed by a person, place, or service. Use it when saying whom someone should call.

hvis Hvis means “if” in “hvis etiketten er uklar”. It introduces the condition under which the listener should call the pharmacy. A useful pattern is hvis followed by a condition and its result. Use it when giving advice that depends on a particular situation.

uklar Uklar means “unclear” in “etiketten er uklar”. It describes the label as difficult to understand or not sufficiently clear. It follows er as a description of the label. Use it when written or spoken information is not clear enough to act on safely.

Det Det means “that” or “it” in “Det er sikrere end at gætte”. It refers back to the suggested action of calling the pharmacy. A useful reuse pattern is Det er followed by a description or evaluation. Use it when referring to an action or situation already mentioned.

sikrere Sikrere means “safer” in “Det er sikrere end at gætte”. It compares calling the pharmacy with guessing and says that the first option has less risk. The form is the comparative form of sikker. Use it when comparing two actions or choices for safety.

end End means “than” in “sikrere end at gætte”. It introduces the alternative used in the comparison. A useful pattern is a comparative expression followed by end and the alternative. Use it when saying that one option is more or less something than another.

gætte Gætte means “guess” or “guessing” in “at gætte”. It names the alternative of deciding the dose without checking. It follows at to refer to the action as an option being compared. Use it when someone might choose an answer without enough reliable information.

kan Kan means “can” in “kan fortælle dig”. It expresses that the pharmacist is able to provide the information. It is followed by the action form fortælle. Use kan followed by an action when describing someone’s ability to do something.

fortælle Fortælle means “tell” in “fortælle dig den rigtige dosis”. It describes giving information to another person, with dig as the recipient and den rigtige dosis as the information. A useful pattern is fortælle followed by a person and the information given. Use it when asking or explaining who will provide information.

rigtige Rigtige means “correct” or “right” in “den rigtige dosis”. It describes the dose as the one that should be used. It appears between den and dosis in this noun phrase. Use it when identifying the accurate or appropriate answer, amount, or choice.

dosis Dosis means “dose” in “den rigtige dosis”. It is the amount of medicine that the pharmacist can identify for the listener. The phrase den rigtige dosis refers to a specific correct amount. Use it when discussing how much medicine should be taken.

tager Tager means “take” in “før du tager den”. It describes the listener’s action of taking the medicine and follows du. A useful reuse pattern is før du tager den when referring to something that should happen before taking it. Use it when discussing the moment at which someone takes medicine.

Grammar Points

Bestemt endelse på substantiver: -et, -en og -erne

apoteket, apotekeren, instruktionerne

ah-poh-TEH-guhd, ah-poh-TEH-gun, in-strook-SHOH-nuh-nuh

the pharmacy, the pharmacist, the instructions

Danish often marks definiteness by adding an ending to the noun instead of using a separate word like “the”.

Komparativ med -ere

en sikrere dosis

en SAY-gruh-ruh DOH-sis

a safer dose

Many Danish adjectives form the comparative by adding -ere, as in sikker → sikrere.

Danish Vocabulary

apotek noun

ah-poh-TEHG pharmacy apoteket

Gender: neuter

Jeg hentede denne medicin på apoteket.

apoteker noun

ah-poh-TEH-guh pharmacist apotekeren

Gender: common

Forklarede apotekeren dig instruktionerne?

dosis noun

DOH-sis dose dosen

Gender: common

Jeg er ikke sikker på dosen.

etiket noun

eh-tee-GEHd label etiketten

Gender: common

På etiketten står der, at du skal tage den efter måltider.

forklare verb

for-KLAH-uh explain forklarede

Forklarede apotekeren dig instruktionerne?

hente verb

HEN-uh pick up; collect hentede

Jeg hentede denne medicin på apoteket.

instruktion noun

in-strook-SHOHN instruction instruktionerne

Gender: common

Forklarede apotekeren dig instruktionerne?

medicin noun

meh-deh-SEEN medicine

Gender: common

Jeg hentede denne medicin på apoteket.

morgenmad noun

MORN-mayth breakfast morgenmaden

Gender: common

Så skal du ikke tage den før morgenmaden.

måltid noun

MOHL-teeth meal måltider

Gender: neuter

På etiketten står der, at du skal tage den efter måltider.

stå verb

STOHR say; stand står

På etiketten står der, at du skal tage den efter måltider.

tage verb

TEH-uh take

På etiketten står der, at du skal tage den efter måltider.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I picked up this medicine at the pharmacy.

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Jeg hentede denne medicin på apoteket.

Did the pharmacist explain the instructions?

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Forklarede apotekeren dig instruktionerne?

I am not sure about the dose.

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Jeg er ikke sikker på dosen.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

say; stand

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står

label

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etiketten

pharmacy

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apoteket

take

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tage