About This Lesson
Use Inviting a friend to a design event to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
Der er et designarrangement i denne uge.
dair air ehd dee-SAIN-ah-rahn-ZHƏ-MONG ee DEN-uh OO-uh. There's a design event this week.
A
Jeg tænkte, at du måske havde lyst til at tage med.
yai TENG-duh, uh doo MOH-sgeh HEH-vuh luhst təl TAI-uh meh. I thought you might want to go.
B
Det kunne jeg godt. Hvilken slags arrangement er det?
deh KOO-nuh yai GOD. VEL-guhn slags ah-rahn-ZHƏ-MONG air deh? I might. What kind of event is it?
A
Der er nogle få korte oplæg og en lille udstilling.
dair air NOH-luh foh KOR-duh OH-plai ow en LEE-luh OOTH-steh-ling. It has a few short talks and a small exhibition.
A
Så det burde være nemt at kigge forbi.
soh deh BOO-thuh VAIR-uh NEMD uh KEE-uh foh-BEE. So it should be easy to drop in.
B
Skal besøgende tilmelde sig på forhånd?
sgal beh-SUR-uh-nuh teel-MEL-uh sai poh fohr-HOHN? Do visitors need to sign up beforehand?
A
Jeg tjekker arrangementets side og sender dig detaljerne.
yai CHEG-uh ah-rahn-ZHƏ-MONG-ehds SEE-thuh ow SEN-uh dai deh-TAIL-yuh-nuh. I'll check the event page and send you the details.
B
Kan du også finde ud af, hvor vi skal mødes?
kan doo OH-soh FIN-uh OOTH AI, voh vee sgal MUR-thus? Could you also find out where we should meet?
A
Hvis tilmeldingen er enkel, så lad os mødes ved indgangen før det første oplæg.
vels teel-MEL-ing-uhn air ENG-guhl, soh lahd oss MUR-thus vehth IN-gong-uhn fohr deh FUR-steh OH-plai. If sign-up is simple, let's meet by the entrance before the first talk.
B
Det passer mig fint. Send planen, så snart du har den.
deh PAS-uh mai fint. SEN PLEN-uhn, soh SNAHD doo hah den. That works for me. Send the plan once you have it.
A
I aften bekræfter jeg tilmeldingsreglerne og foreslår et tidspunkt for mødet.
ee AF-dn beh-KREF-duh yai teel-MEL-ing-SRAY-guhl-nuh ow foh-uh-SLOH ehd TEETH-spong fohr MUR-thuh. Tonight, I will confirm the sign-up rules and suggest a meeting time.
B
Så kan jeg holde den aften fri.
soh kan yai HOL-uh den AF-dn FREE. Then I can keep that evening free.Word by Word
Der
In "Der er et designarrangement", "Der" introduces the existence of something: there is a design event. Use "Der er" to say that something exists or is present.
er
In "Der er et designarrangement", "er" expresses existence: there is. It is used with "Der" in this pattern when introducing a thing or situation.
et
In "et designarrangement", "et" introduces one non-specific design event. Use it before a singular noun in this article pattern.
designarrangement
In "et designarrangement", this word means a design event or organized design gathering. It is useful for naming the type of event being discussed.
i
In "i denne uge" and "I aften", "i" marks a time period: this week or tonight. Use it before these kinds of time expressions.
denne
In "denne uge", "denne" points to the current or relevant week and means this. It comes directly before the noun it specifies.
uge
In "denne uge", "uge" means week. The phrase is useful when locating an event within the current week.
Jeg
In "Jeg tænkte", "Jeg" identifies the speaker as the person who had the thought. Use it as the subject when talking about your own action or opinion.
tænkte
In "Jeg tænkte, at du måske havde lyst", "tænkte" expresses a thought the speaker had; it is the past form used here. It commonly introduces the content of a thought with "at".
at
In "Jeg tænkte, at du måske havde lyst", "at" introduces what the speaker thought. In "lyst til at tage med", it marks the following action, so its function depends on the construction.
du
In "at du måske havde lyst", "du" refers to the person being invited. It is used as the subject of the following clause.
måske
In "du måske havde lyst", "måske" signals uncertainty or possibility: maybe you wanted to. It is useful when making a suggestion without presenting it as certain.
havde
In "du måske havde lyst", "havde" expresses having an inclination in the suggested situation. Together with "lyst til" it helps form a way to say that someone wants or feels like doing something.
lyst
In "havde lyst til at tage med", "lyst" means desire or inclination. The reusable pattern is "have lyst til" followed by an activity.
til
In "lyst til at tage med", "til" links the inclination to the activity that follows. It is part of the reusable pattern "have lyst til at" plus an action.
tage med
Together, "tage med" means to come along or go with someone; "tage" supplies the going or taking action and "med" adds the idea of along or with. In this dialogue it appears in "lyst til at tage med", useful when accepting or discussing an invitation.
Det
In "Det kunne jeg godt", "Det" refers to the suggested activity, such as going to the event. The same word also appears as "det" in "det burde være nemt" and "det første oplæg", so the surrounding construction determines its function.
kunne
In "Det kunne jeg godt", "kunne" presents going as a possible option. It is useful in a tentative or affirmative reply about what someone might do.
godt
In "Det kunne jeg godt", "godt" makes the reply affirmative, conveying that the speaker could indeed do it or would be willing to. It commonly appears with a modal verb in a positive response.
Hvilken
In "Hvilken slags arrangement er det?", "Hvilken" asks which type or kind is meant. It is placed before the noun phrase being identified.
slags
In "Hvilken slags arrangement", "slags" means kind or type and helps ask about the category of the event. The reusable pattern is "Hvilken slags" followed by a noun.
arrangement
In "Hvilken slags arrangement", "arrangement" means an event or organized activity. It names the event whose type is being clarified.
nogle
In "nogle få korte oplæg", "nogle" means some and introduces an unspecified quantity. It can be used before a plural group when the exact number is not important.
få
In "nogle få korte oplæg", "få" indicates a small number: a few. It combines with a plural noun to give a limited quantity.
korte
In "nogle få korte oplæg", "korte" describes the talks as short. It appears before the noun phrase it describes.
oplæg
In "korte oplæg", "oplæg" means talks or presentations at the event. It is useful for referring to scheduled spoken contributions in a program.
og
In "oplæg og en lille udstilling", "og" connects the talks with the exhibition. Use it to join two items or activities in the same description.
en
In "en lille udstilling", "en" introduces one non-specific exhibition. It comes before the singular noun phrase being mentioned.
lille
In "en lille udstilling", "lille" describes the exhibition as small. It is placed before the noun in this description.
udstilling
In "en lille udstilling", "udstilling" means exhibition. It names the visual display included in the event.
Så
In "Så det burde være nemt", "Så" draws a conclusion from the event details and means so. It is useful for connecting information with a resulting expectation.
burde
In "det burde være nemt", "burde" expresses an expectation that something should be easy. It is used with "være" to describe the expected condition.
være
In "burde være nemt", "være" supplies the idea of being in the description of the visit. It follows the modal form "burde" in this construction.
nemt
In "det burde være nemt", "nemt" describes the visit as easy. It is useful for evaluating how difficult an activity is expected to be.
kigge forbi
Together, "kigge forbi" means to drop in or stop by; "kigge" supplies the visiting or looking action and "forbi" adds the idea of passing by. In this dialogue it describes making a brief, flexible visit to the event.
Skal
In "Skal besøgende tilmelde sig på forhånd?", "Skal" asks whether visitors are required to do something. It is placed before the subject in this question pattern.
besøgende
In "Skal besøgende tilmelde sig", "besøgende" means visitors, the people attending the event. It functions as the subject of the question.
tilmelde
In "tilmelde sig på forhånd", "tilmelde" means to register or sign up. After "Skal", it names the action that visitors may need to take.
sig
In "tilmelde sig", "sig" refers back to the people doing the registering, giving the construction the meaning sign up oneself. It stays together with "tilmelde" in this reusable expression.
på forhånd
Together, "på forhånd" means beforehand; "på" forms the time expression and "forhånd" identifies the action as taking place in advance. Use it when an action must happen before the relevant event or deadline.
tjekker
In "Jeg tjekker arrangementets side", "tjekker" expresses checking the event page for information. It is useful when saying that you will verify details in a source.
arrangementets
In "arrangementets side", "arrangementets" means the event's and shows that the page belongs to or concerns the event. The ending "-s" marks this possessive relationship in the exact form.
side
In "arrangementets side", "side" means page, specifically the event page being checked. It can refer to a page containing information about an event.
sender
In "sender dig detaljerne", "sender" expresses sending information to another person. Here "dig" is the recipient and "detaljerne" is what is sent, so both roles are useful when reusing the pattern.
dig
In "sender dig detaljerne", "dig" means you as the recipient of the details. It is used after the sending verb to identify who receives something.
detaljerne
In "sender dig detaljerne", "detaljerne" means the specific details or information. The form refers to known details and is the thing being sent.
Kan
In "Kan du også finde ud af", "Kan" begins a polite request asking whether the listener can do something. It comes before the subject in this question pattern.
også
In "Kan du også finde ud af", "også" means also and adds another request to the previous task. It is placed before the action being requested here.
finde ud af
Together, "finde ud af" means to find out; "finde" supplies finding, while "ud" and "af" complete the expression that means discovering information. In this dialogue it is followed by "hvor vi skal mødes", the information to be found out.
hvor
In "hvor vi skal mødes", "hvor" introduces the place being asked about: where. It begins the embedded question about the meeting location.
vi
In "hvor vi skal mødes", "vi" refers to the speaker and listener together. It is the subject of the planned meeting.
mødes
In "hvor vi skal mødes", "mødes" means meet each other. It is useful when two or more people arrange a shared meeting.
Hvis
In "Hvis tilmeldingen er enkel", "Hvis" introduces a condition: if registration is simple. It begins a conditional clause that sets the condition for the suggested plan.
tilmeldingen
In "Hvis tilmeldingen er enkel", "tilmeldingen" means the registration or sign-up process being discussed. The definite form points to the specific sign-up for this event.
enkel
In "tilmeldingen er enkel", "enkel" describes the registration as simple. It is useful for evaluating whether a process is easy to complete.
lad
In "lad os mødes", "lad" starts a suggestion meaning let us meet; the complete suggestion comes from "lad" together with "os mødes". Use this construction to propose a shared action.
os
In "lad os mødes", "os" refers to the speaker and listener as the people who should meet. It completes the suggestion construction with "lad".
ved
In "ved indgangen", "ved" marks the meeting location as by or at the entrance. Use it before a place when specifying where people should meet.
indgangen
In "ved indgangen", "indgangen" means the entrance, specifically the agreed meeting place. The definite form points to the relevant entrance of the event venue.
før
In "før det første oplæg", "før" means before and places the meeting earlier than the first talk. It is useful for ordering one event in relation to another.
første
In "det første oplæg", "første" identifies the talk that comes first in the event sequence. It is useful when referring to the first item in a program.
passer
In "Det passer mig fint", "passer" means suits or works for someone. The construction evaluates whether a proposed time or arrangement is acceptable to the speaker.
mig
In "Det passer mig fint", "mig" means me and identifies the person for whom the arrangement works. It follows "passer" in this expression.
fint
In "Det passer mig fint", "fint" adds a positive evaluation, meaning fine or well. Together with "passer mig", it is a practical way to accept a proposed arrangement.
Send
In "Send planen", "Send" is a direct request to send something. It is the command form used when asking someone to provide the plan.
planen
In "Send planen", "planen" means the plan already being discussed. The definite form shows that it refers to this particular plan.
så snart
Together, "så snart" means as soon as; "så" helps form the time boundary and "snart" indicates that it should happen quickly. In "så snart du har den", it connects sending the plan with having it ready.
har
In "så snart du har den", "har" expresses having the plan ready or in possession. It is useful in a time clause that specifies when another action should happen.
den
In "så snart du har den", "den" refers back to the plan, so it means it. The same form appears in "den aften" to identify a particular evening, showing that the surrounding phrase determines its function.
aften
In "I aften" and "den aften", "aften" means evening. The first phrase refers to tonight, while the second identifies the evening being kept free.
bekræfter
In "bekræfter jeg tilmeldingsreglerne", "bekræfter" means confirm or verify. It is used with specific information, here the sign-up rules, that the speaker promises to check.
tilmeldingsreglerne
In "tilmeldingsreglerne", this compound means the sign-up rules or registration requirements. The definite form refers to the specific rules governing this event.
foreslår
In "foreslår et tidspunkt for mødet", "foreslår" means suggest and introduces a proposed meeting time. It is useful when offering an arrangement for someone else to consider.
tidspunkt
In "et tidspunkt for mødet", "tidspunkt" means a specific time or point in time. The phrase is useful when proposing when a meeting should take place.
for
In "et tidspunkt for mødet", "for" links the proposed time to the meeting it is intended for. It is used here to express the purpose or relation of the time.
mødet
In "et tidspunkt for mødet", "mødet" means the meeting being arranged. The definite form points to the specific meeting between the speakers.
holde
In "holde den aften fri", "holde" means keep or reserve the evening in an available state. It is useful when setting time aside for a planned activity.
fri
In "holde den aften fri", "fri" means free or available. It describes the evening as not committed to another activity.
Grammar Points
have lyst til at + infinitiv
Jeg havde lyst til at tage med.
yai HEH-vuh luhst təl uh TAI-uh meh.I felt like coming along.
Danish uses have lyst til followed by at and an infinitive to express wanting or feeling like doing something.
tilmelde sig: reflexive pronoun changes with the subject
Jeg tilmelder mig mødet.
yai teel-MEL-uh mai MUR-thuh.I register for the meeting.
The reflexive pronoun agrees with the subject: sig becomes mig with jeg, dig with du, and so on.
Danish Vocabulary
designarrangement
noun
dee-SAIN-ah-rahn-ZHƏ-MONG
design event
- Gender
- neuter
have lyst til
phrase
HEH-vuh luhst təl
want to; feel like
havde lyst til
kigge forbi
phrase
KEE-uh foh-BEE
drop in; stop by
kort
adj
KOR-d
short
korte
måske
adv
MOH-sgeh
maybe
nem
adj
NEM
easy
nemt
- Gender
- neuter
oplæg
noun
OH-plai
talk; presentation
- Gender
- neuter
slags
noun
slahks
kind; sort
- Gender
- common
tage med
phrase
TAI-uh meh
go along; come along
tænke
verb
TENG-uh
think
tænkte
udstilling
noun
OOTH-steh-ling
exhibition
- Gender
- common
uge
noun
OO-uh
week
- Gender
- common
Quiz
Word Order
Arrange the words in the correct order.
Do visitors need to sign up beforehand?
Show Answer
Skal besøgende tilmelde sig på forhånd?Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
short
Show Answer
kortemaybe
Show Answer
måskekind; sort
Show Answer
slagsthink