Planning meals for a busy week | Learn Danish in English

About This Lesson

Use Planning meals for a busy week to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Næste uge ser travl ud, så det ville hjælpe at tilberede nogle måltider på forhånd.

NES-duh OO-uh SAIR TRAHVL oo, saw deh VELL-uh YEL-buh ah til-buh-RAY-thuh NOH-luh MOL-tee-thuh poh fohr-HOHN. Next week looks busy, so preparing some meals in advance would help.

Madlavning på forhånd vil hjælpe, men undgå at spise det samme hver dag.

MAY-lahv-ning poh fohr-HOHN veel YEL-buh, men OON-gaw ah SPEE-suh deh SAM-uh vair DAIR. Meal prep will help, but avoid eating the same thing every day.

Jeg tænkte på at lave en stor portion grøntsagscurry.

yai TENG-duh poh ah LAH-vuh uhn stohr pohr-SHOHN GURN-saks-KUR-ee. I was thinking of making a big batch of vegetable curry.

Det fungerer, hvis du fordeler den i passende portioner og opbevarer den sikkert.

deh fong-GAIR, vess doo foh-DAY-luh den ee PASS-uh-nuh pohr-SHOH-nuh aw OB-vair-uh den SAY-guhd. That works if you portion it properly and store it safely.

Skal jeg fryse noget af det ned og opbevare resten i køleskabet?

skel yai FROO-suh NOH-uth ah deh naith aw OB-vair-uh RESS-duhn ee KUR-luhs-SGAYB? Should I freeze some and keep the rest in the fridge?

Frys nogle få portioner ned.

FROOS NOH-luh FOH pohr-SHOH-nuh naith. Freeze a few portions.

Mærk hver beholder, så det er nemt at vælge.

MAIRG vair buh-HOH-luh, saw deh air NEMT ah VELL-uh. Label each container so it is easy to choose.

Jeg har også brug for noget afbalanceret til frokost, ikke bare ris.

yai hah AW-suh broo fohr NOH-uth AHF-bah-lahn-SAIR-ud teel FROH-kost, EG-uh BAIR REES. I also need something balanced for lunch, not just rice.

Tilføj æg, bønner eller kylling, alt efter hvad du har lyst til at spise.

teel-FOY AIR, BURN-uh, ELL-uh KULL-ing, ald EHF-duh veh doo hah LOOST teel ah SPEE-suh. Add eggs, beans, or chicken, depending on what you feel like eating.

Hvis resterne virker kedelige, kan jeg ændre tilbehøret.

vess RESS-duh-nuh VAIR-guh KAY-thuh-lee, kan yai EN-ruh teel-buh-HURR. If the leftovers feel boring, I can change the side dish.

Små ændringer gør det sjovere at spise måltider, der er lavet på forhånd.

smaw EN-reng-uh GURR deh SHOO-uh-ruh ah SPEE-suh MOL-tee-thuh, dair air LAY-vuth poh fohr-HOHN. Small changes make prepared meals more enjoyable.

Word by Word

Næste “Næste” means next in “Næste uge”, referring to the week after the current one. It is used directly before a time expression such as “Næste uge”.

uge “Uge” means week in “Næste uge”. It names a period of seven days and commonly follows a word describing which week, such as “Næste”.

ser “Ser” means looks or seems in “ser travl ud”. Together with “ud”, it describes how something appears. A reusable pattern is “ser ... ud”, followed by a description.

travl “Travl” means busy in “ser travl ud”, describing the coming week. It can be used after “ser ... ud” to describe how a period or situation appears.

ud “Ud” is the particle that completes “ser travl ud”, giving the meaning looks or seems busy. The reusable expression is “ser ... ud”, with the description placed between “ser” and “ud”.

så In “så det ville hjælpe”, “så” means so and introduces the result of the week looking busy. In “så det er nemt at vælge”, it means so that and introduces a purpose or intended result.

det In “det ville hjælpe”, “det” means it and refers to preparing meals in advance as a helpful measure. In “Det fungerer”, the capitalized form means that or it and refers to the suggested meal-preparation plan.

ville “Ville” presents the result as a hypothetical or suggested outcome in “det ville hjælpe”. The pattern “det ville hjælpe at ...” is useful when explaining what would be helpful.

hjælpe “Hjælpe” means help in “det ville hjælpe at tilberede nogle måltider”. It follows “ville” here, and the pattern “ville hjælpe at ...” introduces an action considered helpful.

at The first “at” introduces the action “tilberede” after “ville hjælpe”. It also introduces “spise” in “at spise” and commonly comes directly before the verb in these constructions.

tilberede “Tilberede” means prepare or cook in “at tilberede nogle måltider”. It is used for preparing food and is followed here by the object “nogle måltider”.

nogle “Nogle” means some in “nogle måltider”. It indicates an unspecified amount and is placed before the food items being prepared.

måltider “Måltider” means meals in “nogle måltider”. It is the object of “tilberede” and refers to the food prepared for the busy week.

på forhånd “På forhånd” means in advance in both “tilberede nogle måltider på forhånd” and “Madlavning på forhånd”. The whole expression describes doing the preparation before it is needed; “på” and “forhånd” work together in this fixed expression.

Madlavning “Madlavning” means cooking or meal preparation in “Madlavning på forhånd”. It names the activity being planned and can be combined with “på forhånd” to describe preparing food early.

vil “Vil” means will in “Madlavning på forhånd vil hjælpe”, presenting meal preparation as something that will be helpful. It is followed here by “hjælpe” to describe the expected result.

men “Men” means but and introduces a limitation to the suggestion in “vil hjælpe, men undgå ...”. It links two contrasting pieces of advice.

undgå “Undgå” means avoid in “undgå at spise det samme hver dag”. It gives advice not to do the action introduced by “at spise”.

spise “Spise” means eat in “at spise det samme hver dag”. It follows “at” after “undgå”, and the reusable pattern is “undgå at spise ...”.

samme “Samme” means same in “det samme”. It shows that the food is identical to what was already mentioned, and it commonly appears with “det” before the thing being referred to.

hver “Hver” means each or every in “hver dag”. It describes the repeated time unit and comes directly before “dag” in this expression.

dag “Dag” means day in “hver dag”. The expression “hver dag” means every day and describes how often the same food should not be eaten.

Jeg “Jeg” means I in “Jeg tænkte på ...” and “Jeg har også brug for ...”. It identifies the speaker as the person thinking about the meal and needing lunch.

tænkte “Tænkte” means thought or was thinking in “Jeg tænkte på at lave ...”. The pattern “tænkte på at ...” introduces an idea the speaker was considering.

på In “tænkte på at lave”, “på” connects the thought to the action being considered. It also appears in the fixed expression “på forhånd”, meaning in advance; the meaning depends on the expression it forms.

lave “Lave” means make in “at lave en stor portion grøntsagscurry”. It follows “at” and takes the food being made as its object.

en “En” means a in “en stor portion”. It introduces one unspecified portion and comes before the description “stor” and the noun “portion”.

stor “Stor” means big or large in “en stor portion”. It describes the size of the portion and is placed before “portion”.

portion “Portion” means portion or batch in “en stor portion grøntsagscurry”. It refers to an amount of prepared food and is followed by the food it contains.

grøntsagscurry “Grøntsagscurry” means vegetable curry in “en stor portion grøntsagscurry”. It names the dish being made and specifies what the portion consists of.

fungerer “Fungerer” means works in “Det fungerer”. It says that the suggested plan is suitable or effective, and it can be followed by an explanation introduced with “hvis”.

hvis “Hvis” means if in “hvis du fordeler den ...” and introduces the condition under which the plan works. It is placed at the beginning of the conditional clause here.

du “Du” means you in “hvis du fordeler den ...” and “opbevarer den sikkert”. It identifies the person carrying out the portioning and storing.

fordeler “Fordeler” means distributes or portions out in “fordeler den i passende portioner”. It describes dividing the curry into portions and is followed by what is divided and the resulting portions.

den “Den” refers to the curry in “fordeler den” and “opbevarer den sikkert”. It avoids repeating the dish and functions as the object of both actions.

i “I” means into in “i passende portioner”, showing where the curry is divided. It introduces the portions that receive the food.

passende “Passende” means suitable or appropriate in “passende portioner”. It describes portions that have an appropriate size for storing the meal.

portioner “Portioner” means portions in “fordeler den i passende portioner”. It names the separate amounts into which the curry is divided.

og “Og” means and in “fordeler den ... og opbevarer den sikkert”. It joins the two actions that make the meal-preparation plan work.

opbevarer “Opbevarer” means stores or keeps in “opbevarer den sikkert”. It describes keeping the prepared food in a safe place and takes “den” as its object.

sikkert “Sikkert” means safely in “opbevarer den sikkert”. It describes how the food should be stored and follows the storage verb.

Skal “Skal” asks whether something should be done in “Skal jeg fryse noget af det ned ...?”. The pattern “Skal jeg ...?” is useful for asking for advice or permission about an action.

fryse “Fryse” means freeze in “fryse noget af det ned”. It describes putting some of the food in frozen storage and is completed by the particle “ned” here.

noget “Noget” means some or something in “noget af det”. Together with “af det”, it refers to an unspecified part of the prepared food.

af “Af” means of or from in “noget af det”, marking a part taken from the whole. The reusable pattern is “noget af ...” when referring to some part of something.

ned “Ned” is the particle in “fryse noget af det ned”, completing the idea of freezing food down for storage. It belongs to the action phrase with “fryse” rather than describing the food itself.

opbevare “Opbevare” means store or keep in “opbevare resten i køleskabet”. It is used after “skal jeg” and takes “resten” as the thing being stored.

resten “Resten” means the rest in “opbevare resten i køleskabet”. It refers to what remains after some of the food has been frozen.

køleskabet “Køleskabet” means the fridge or refrigerator in “i køleskabet”. It names the place where the remaining food should be stored, following “i”.

Frys “Frys” gives the direct instruction freeze in “Frys nogle få portioner ned”. It is used at the start of advice or an instruction, followed by the portions to freeze.

få “Få” means a few in “nogle få portioner”. Together, “nogle få” refers to a small number of portions, not all of them.

Mærk “Mærk” means label or mark in “Mærk hver beholder”. It gives an instruction to put identifying information on each container.

beholder “Beholder” means container in “hver beholder”. It refers to the item holding each food portion and follows the word “hver”.

er “Er” means is in “det er nemt at vælge”. It connects the situation with the description “nemt” and introduces what is easy.

nemt “Nemt” means easy in “det er nemt at vælge”. The pattern “det er nemt at ...” describes an action that can be done without difficulty.

vælge “Vælge” means choose in “at vælge”. It names the action made easy by labeling the containers and follows “at” in the expression “det er nemt at vælge”.

har “Har” means have in “Jeg har også brug for ...”. With “brug for”, it forms the expression for needing something.

også “Også” means also in “Jeg har også brug for ...”. It adds the need for a balanced lunch to the other meal-preparation needs.

brug for “Brug for” means need in “har også brug for noget afbalanceret”. The whole expression is used in “have brug for + noun”; “brug” contributes the idea of need and “for” links it to what is needed.

afbalanceret “Afbalanceret” means balanced in “noget afbalanceret til frokost”. It describes the kind of food wanted for lunch and follows “noget”.

til In “til frokost”, “til” means for and connects the food with its intended meal. It also appears in “lyst til at spise”, where it is part of the expression for feeling like doing something.

frokost “Frokost” means lunch in “til frokost”. It identifies the meal for which the balanced food is needed and follows “til”.

ikke “Ikke” means not in “ikke bare ris”. It negates the idea that rice alone is enough and is placed before the phrase being limited.

bare “Bare” means just or only in “ikke bare ris”. Together, “ikke bare” means not only, showing that lunch should contain more than rice.

ris “Ris” means rice in “ikke bare ris”. It names one food that should not be the only part of the lunch.

Tilføj “Tilføj” means add in “Tilføj æg, bønner eller kylling”. It gives an instruction to include one or more additional foods.

æg “Æg” refers to eggs in “Tilføj æg”. It is one of the foods suggested as an addition to the lunch.

bønner “Bønner” means beans in “Tilføj ... bønner”. It names another possible food to add to the lunch.

eller “Eller” means or in “æg, bønner eller kylling”. It presents alternatives among the foods that can be added.

kylling “Kylling” means chicken in “Tilføj ... kylling”. It is one possible addition to make the lunch more balanced.

alt efter “Alt efter” means depending on in “alt efter hvad du har lyst til at spise”. The whole expression introduces a choice that changes according to what the person wants to eat; “alt” and “efter” work together in this construction.

hvad “Hvad” means what in “hvad du har lyst til at spise”. It introduces the thing that determines which food should be added.

lyst til “Lyst til” expresses feeling like doing something in “har lyst til at spise”. “Lyst” contributes the desire, while “til” links that desire to the following action; the reusable pattern is “have lyst til at” plus a verb.

resterne “Resterne” means the leftovers in “Hvis resterne virker kedelige”. It refers to the prepared food remaining after an earlier meal.

virker “Virker” means seem or feel in “virker kedelige”. It describes the speaker’s impression of the leftovers and is followed by the description “kedelige”.

kedelige “Kedelige” means boring in “virker kedelige”. It describes how the leftovers seem and follows “virker”.

kan “Kan” means can in “kan jeg ændre tilbehøret”. It presents the speaker’s ability or possibility to change the side dish.

ændre “Ændre” means change in “ændre tilbehøret”. It describes making the side dish different and takes “tilbehøret” as its object.

tilbehøret “Tilbehøret” means the side dish or accompaniment in “ændre tilbehøret”. It refers to the food served alongside the main part of the meal.

Små “Små” means small in “Små ændringer”. It describes changes that are limited rather than major and comes directly before “ændringer”.

ændringer “Ændringer” means changes in “Små ændringer”. It refers to modifications such as changing the side dish to make prepared meals more enjoyable.

gør “Gør” means make in “gør det sjovere at spise måltider ...”. The pattern “gør ... sjovere” describes something causing an activity to become more enjoyable.

sjovere “Sjovere” means more enjoyable in “gør det sjovere at spise”. It expresses an increased level of enjoyment and follows “gør det” in this construction.

der “Der” means that or which in “måltider, der er lavet på forhånd”. It introduces the information describing which meals are meant.

lavet “Lavet” means made or prepared in “er lavet på forhånd”. It describes the meals as already prepared in advance and appears with “er” in the relative clause.

Grammar Points

Bestemt form med endelsen -et

køleskabet

KUR-luhs-SGAY-buth

the fridge

Danish often marks a singular definite noun with a suffix instead of a separate word like “the”.

Komparativ med -ere

sjovere

SHOO-uh-ruh

more fun

Many Danish adjectives form the comparative by adding -ere to the base adjective.

Danish Vocabulary

lave verb

LAH-vuh to make

at lave en stor portion

måltid noun

MOL-teeth meal måltider

Gender: neuter

portion noun

pohr-SHOHN portion portioner

Gender: common

på forhånd phrase

poh fohr-HOHN in advance

tilberede nogle måltider på forhånd

samme adj

SAM-uh same

det samme

spise verb

SPEE-suh to eat

stor adj

STOHR big

en stor portion

tilberede verb

til-buh-RAY-thuh to prepare or cook

at tilberede nogle måltider

travl adj

TRAHVL busy

ser travl ud

tænke verb

TENG-uh to think tænkte

Jeg tænkte på

uge noun

OO-uh week

Gender: common

næste uge

undgå verb

OON-gaw to avoid

undgå at spise

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Freeze a few portions.

Show Answer

Frys nogle få portioner ned.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to think

Show Answer

tænkte

meal

Show Answer

måltider

busy

Show Answer

travl

to avoid

Show Answer

undgå