Managing Baggage Weight Before a Flight | Learn Danish in English

About This Lesson

Use Managing Baggage Weight Before a Flight to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Min kuffert føles tung, og bagagegrænsen er virkelig streng.

min KOO-fuhd FUH-luhs tong, oh BA-gah-guh-GRENS-en air VEER-lee SDRENG My suitcase feels heavy, and the baggage allowance is really strict.

Vej den, før vi går, så du kan pakke den om nu, hvis det er nødvendigt.

VAY den, fur vee goh, soh doo ken PAH-guh den ohm noo, ves deh air NUR-thven-dee Weigh it before we leave so you can repack it now if needed.

Den er over grænsen, så jeg er nødt til at tage noget ud.

den air OH-vuh GRENS-en, soh yai air NURD tel teh TAY-uh NOH-thin oo-th It's over the limit, so I need to take something out.

Læg tunge ting i din rygsæk, hvis dens vægtgrænse tillader det.

LAY TOON-uh teng ee deen RURK-seg, ves dens VEKT-grehns-uh tee-LAIR-thuh deh Move heavy items to your backpack if its weight allowance permits.

Bøgerne er nok det største problem.

BUR-uh-nuh air NOK deh STUR-stuh proh-BLEM The books are probably the main problem.

Tag kun den med, som du har brug for på flyrejsen.

TAY kohn den meh, sohm doo hah BOOR fohr poh FLOO-rye-sen Bring only the one you need for the flight.

Lad resten blive derhjemme.

LAH RES-den BLEE-uh dair-YEM-uh Leave the rest at home.

Jeg kan tage jakken på i stedet for at pakke den.

yai ken TAY-uh YAH-gen poh ee STAY-thuh fohr eh PAH-guh den I can wear the jacket instead of packing it.

Det burde hjælpe, uden at du skal pakke det hele om.

deh BOOR-thuh YEL-buh, OO-thun eh doo skel PAH-guh deh HAY-luh ohm That should help without making you repack everything.

Nu er den under grænsen.

NOO air den OON-dur GRENS-en Now it's under the limit.

Så kan vi gå uden at åbne kufferten ved skranken.

soh ken vee goh OO-thun eh AWB-nuh KOO-fuh-den veh SDRAHNG-en Then we can leave without opening the suitcase at the counter.

Word by Word

Min Min means “my” in Min kuffert and shows who the suitcase belongs to. It is reused before a noun when identifying something as belonging to the speaker, as in Min kuffert.

kuffert Kuffert means “suitcase” and names the piece of luggage being weighed and repacked. It is the noun after Min in Min kuffert and is useful when discussing a suitcase before or during travel.

føles Føles means “feels” in Min kuffert føles tung, describing the speaker’s impression of the suitcase’s weight. A useful pattern is a subject followed by føles and an adjective, as in kufferten føles tung.

tung Tung means “heavy” in føles tung and describes the suitcase’s weight. It can be reused after føles when describing how an object seems to feel, such as a bag or box.

og Og means “and” and links the statement about the suitcase with the statement about the baggage limit. It is reused to join two related words, phrases, or clauses in one sentence.

bagagegrænsen Bagagegrænsen means “the baggage allowance” or “the baggage limit” being discussed before the flight. It is the subject in bagagegrænsen er virkelig streng and can be reused when talking about the maximum baggage permitted.

er Er means “is” in bagagegrænsen er virkelig streng and links the baggage limit to its description. A useful pattern is a subject followed by er and an adjective, as in grænsen er streng.

virkelig Virkelig means “really” and strengthens the description in virkelig streng. It can be placed before an adjective to emphasize the speaker’s assessment, such as virkelig tung.

streng Streng means “strict” in bagagegrænsen er virkelig streng and describes the allowance as being applied tightly. It is useful for describing a rule, limit, or requirement that allows little flexibility.

Vej Vej means “weigh” in the direct instruction Vej den. At the start of this line, it tells the other person to weigh the suitcase before leaving, and it can be reused as a command followed by the object being weighed.

den Den refers to the suitcase in Vej den and Den er over grænsen, while in Tag kun den med it means “the one.” Its exact meaning comes from the surrounding noun or context, so it can refer back to a known item or select one item from several.

før Før means “before” in før vi går and introduces the time that must come first. It is reused before a clause to express that one action happens before another, as in før vi rejser.

vi Vi means “we” in før vi går and identifies the speaker and the other person together. It can be reused as the subject of an action shared by the speakers, such as vi går.

går Går means “go” or “leave” in før vi går, referring to leaving before the flight preparations are finished. It is useful when describing movement or departure with vi as the subject.

så Så has different functions in this dialogue: så du kan pakke den om means “so that,” så jeg er nødt til at tage noget ud means “so,” and Så kan vi gå means “then.” The surrounding clause shows whether it introduces a purpose, a consequence, or the next step.

du Du means “you” and refers to the person who should weigh and repack the suitcase. It is reused as the subject of an action addressed directly to one interlocutor, as in du kan pakke den om.

kan Kan means “can” or “are able to” in du kan pakke den om and presents repacking as a possible action. It is reused before an infinitive to express ability or possibility, as in kan gå.

pakke Pakke means “pack” in pakke den om and pakke det hele om, where om shows that the packing is being done again or differently. It is reused after a modal or another expression that introduces an action, especially when discussing luggage.

om Om contributes the meaning “again” or “over” in pakke den om and pakke det hele om, making the expressions mean “repack it” or “repack everything.” It belongs with pakke and shows that the existing packing arrangement is being changed.

nu Nu means “now” and places the possible repacking at the present time in pakke den om nu. It can be reused to indicate that an action should happen at this moment rather than later.

hvis Hvis means “if” in hvis det er nødvendigt and introduces a condition for repacking. It is reused before a clause that states when an action applies, as in hvis det hjælper.

det Det refers to a situation or thing in this dialogue: det in hvis det er nødvendigt is the situation being judged necessary, tillader det refers to the permitted action, and Det burde hjælpe refers to the proposed solution. Its reference is determined by the surrounding construction rather than by det alone.

nødvendigt Nødvendigt means “necessary” in det er nødvendigt and says that repacking may be required. It is reused in the pattern det er nødvendigt when evaluating whether an action is needed.

over Over means “over” or “above” in over grænsen and shows that the suitcase exceeds the permitted limit. It can be reused with a limit or threshold to describe being above it.

grænsen Grænsen means “the limit” in over grænsen and under grænsen, referring to the baggage threshold. It is useful when describing whether an amount is above or below a specific permitted level.

jeg Jeg means “I” and is the subject in jeg er nødt til at tage noget ud. It can be reused when the speaker describes their own action, need, or responsibility.

nødt Nødt contributes to the meaning “obliged” or “have to” in the fixed expression jeg er nødt til at tage noget ud. The whole expression states that removing something is necessary, and it can be reused before til at plus an action.

til Til is part of the expression være nødt til at, which links the obligation to the action that must follow. In jeg er nødt til at tage noget ud, it helps introduce the required action and is reused in the same need-to construction.

at At marks the infinitive in nødt til at tage and introduces the action connected to the obligation. It can be reused before an infinitive after expressions such as til at.

tage Tage means “take” in tage noget ud, “bring or take along” in Tag kun den med, and “put on” in tage jakken på. Its precise meaning depends on the particle or phrase with it, such as noget ud for removal or jakken på for putting on clothing.

noget Noget means “something” in tage noget ud and refers to an unspecified item removed from the suitcase. It is useful when the speaker does not identify exactly which object is involved.

ud Ud means “out” in tage noget ud and shows that something is removed from inside the suitcase. It is reused with an action of taking or moving something outward, as in tage en ting ud.

Læg Læg means “put” or “place” in the instruction Læg tunge ting i din rygsæk. It tells the other person where to place the heavy items and can be reused as a command followed by an object and a location.

tunge Tunge means “heavy” in tunge ting and describes the items that should be moved. It is reused before a noun when identifying objects by their weight, as in tunge bøger.

ting Ting means “things” or “items” in tunge ting and refers generally to objects in the suitcase. It is useful when discussing several belongings without naming each one.

i I means “in” or “into” in i din rygsæk and introduces the backpack as the place where the items should be put. It can be reused before a container or location, as in lægge noget i en taske.

din Din means “your” in din rygsæk and identifies the backpack as belonging to the person being addressed. It is reused before a noun when referring to something owned or associated with that person.

rygsæk Rygsæk means “backpack” and names the second bag to which heavy items may be moved. It is the noun in din rygsæk and is useful when discussing what someone carries on their back.

dens Dens means “its” in dens vægtgrænse and refers back to the backpack. It is reused before a noun to show that the following item belongs to or is associated with something already mentioned.

vægtgrænse Vægtgrænse means “weight allowance” or “weight limit” and refers to the permitted weight of the backpack. It is useful in a travel context when checking whether another bag can accept more items.

tillader Tillader means “permits” or “allows” in dens vægtgrænse tillader det, where the backpack’s weight limit allows the proposed action. A useful pattern is a limit or rule followed by tillader det when checking whether something is permitted.

Bøgerne Bøgerne means “the books” and identifies the books as the main heavy items under discussion. It is the subject in Bøgerne er nok det største problem and can be reused when referring to a known group of books.

nok Nok means “probably” in Bøgerne er nok det største problem and shows that the speaker is making a likely assessment rather than stating complete certainty. It is useful when giving a cautious opinion about the likely cause of a problem.

største Største means “biggest” or, in this context, “main” in det største problem. It presents the books as the most significant problem among the items being considered and can be reused when identifying the most important issue.

problem Problem means “problem” in det største problem and names the difficulty caused by the books’ weight. It can be reused after a description such as største to identify the main difficulty in a situation.

Tag Tag means “take” or “bring along” in Tag kun den med and gives a direct instruction about which book to bring. The reusable pattern Tag ... med tells someone to take a selected item along.

kun Kun means “only” and limits the instruction to one book in Tag kun den med. It can be reused before the selected item or action when excluding the other possibilities.

med Med means “along” or “with” in Tag kun den med and shows that the selected book should be taken along on the flight. It is commonly used with tage or Tag when an item accompanies someone.

som Som means “that” or “which” in den, som du har brug for på flyrejsen and introduces information identifying the book needed for the flight. It can be reused to connect a noun or pronoun with a clause that describes or selects it.

har Har means “have” in du har brug for and is part of the Danish expression for needing something. It is reused before brug for when stating that someone needs a particular item.

brug Brug contributes to the meaning “need” in the fixed expression har brug for. In du har brug for på flyrejsen, the whole expression identifies the item required for the flight, and it can be reused before the needed object.

for For appears in two constructions here: har brug for means “need,” while i stedet for means “instead of.” In each case, the surrounding words determine its function, so it should be reused as part of the complete expression.

på På means “for” in på flyrejsen and is part of the phrase referring to the flight, while tage jakken på means “put on the jacket.” Its meaning depends on the construction: it can relate an activity to a trip or complete the expression for putting clothing on.

flyrejsen Flyrejsen means “the flight” and identifies the journey for which one book is needed. It is used after på in på flyrejsen and can be reused when discussing preparation for a particular flight.

Lad Lad means “let” or “leave” in Lad resten blive derhjemme and gives an instruction that the remaining items should stay at home. The pattern Lad an item blive describes allowing or telling it to remain somewhere.

resten Resten means “the rest” and refers to all the books or items not selected to take along. It is useful when separating a chosen part from the remaining items in a group.

blive Blive means “stay” or “remain” in Lad resten blive derhjemme and describes the remaining items not being taken on the trip. It is reused after Lad when telling someone or something to remain in a place.

derhjemme Derhjemme means “at home” and specifies where the remaining items should stay. It can be reused to describe an item or person remaining at home rather than travelling.

jakken Jakken means “the jacket” and is the clothing item the speaker will wear instead of packing. It is the object in tage jakken på and can be reused when discussing a specific jacket.

stedet Stedet is part of the fixed expression i stedet for, meaning “instead of,” in i stedet for at pakke den. The expression introduces an alternative action, here wearing the jacket rather than packing it.

burde Burde means “should” in Det burde hjælpe and expresses an expected result rather than a certainty. It is reused before an infinitive when making a cautious prediction or recommendation about what is likely to help.

hjælpe Hjælpe means “help” in Det burde hjælpe and names the expected beneficial effect of wearing the jacket. It follows burde here and can be reused to describe an action that makes a situation easier.

uden Uden means “without” in uden at åbne kufferten and introduces an action that does not need to happen. It is reused before at plus an infinitive to say that something occurs without performing another action.

skal Skal means “have to” or “need to” in uden at du skal pakke det hele om and refers to the repacking the other person would otherwise need to do. It is reused before an infinitive to express a required action.

hele Hele means “whole” or “all” in det hele and refers to the complete packing job rather than only part of it. It is useful for emphasizing that an entire thing or amount is involved.

under Under means “under” or “below” in under grænsen and shows that the suitcase is now below the allowed limit. It can be reused with a threshold or measurement to describe being beneath it.

gå Gå means “go” or “leave” in Så kan vi gå and refers to leaving after the suitcase is within the limit. It follows kan here and can be reused when describing departure or movement.

åbne Åbne means “open” in uden at åbne kufferten and names the action that will not be necessary at the counter. It can be reused after uden at when describing an action that is avoided.

kufferten Kufferten means “the suitcase” and refers to the specific suitcase being prepared for the flight. It is the object in åbne kufferten and can be reused when discussing that known piece of luggage.

ved Ved means “at” or “by” in ved skranken and places the action at the counter. It can be reused before a place or point where an interaction takes place.

skranken Skranken means “the counter,” specifically the service or check-in counter in this airport context. It is the location in ved skranken and can be reused when describing where a service interaction happens.

Grammar Points

Imperativ: verbets stamme uden -e

Tag jakken på.

TAY YAH-gen poh

Put on the jacket.

I dansk dannes imperativ ofte af verbets stamme: tage bliver til Tag. Subjektet udelades.

Bestemt form med endelse: -en, -et eller -ene

bagagegrænsen; Bøgerne

BA-gah-guh-GRENS-en; BUR-uh-nuh

the baggage limit; the books

Den bestemte artikel sættes ofte bag på substantivet: bagagegrænse bliver bagagegrænsen, og bøger bliver Bøgerne.

Danish Vocabulary

bagagegrænse noun

BA-gah-guh-GRENS-uh baggage allowance; baggage limit bagagegrænsen

Gender: common

bagagegrænsen er virkelig streng

grænse noun

GRENS-uh limit grænsen

Gender: common

over grænsen

gå verb

goh to leave; to go går

før vi går

kuffert noun

KOO-fuhd suitcase

Gender: common

Min kuffert

lægge verb

LAY-uh to put; to place Læg

Læg tunge ting i din rygsæk

nødvendig adj

NUR-thven-dee necessary nødvendigt

Gender: neuter

hvis det er nødvendigt

pakke om phrase

PAH-guh ohm to repack pakke den om

kan pakke den om

streng adj

SDRENG strict

virkelig streng

tage noget ud phrase

TAY-uh NOH-thin oo-th to take something out

at tage noget ud

ting noun

teng thing; item

Gender: common

tunge ting

tung adj

toong heavy

tung

veje verb

VAY-uh to weigh Vej

Vej den

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

The books are probably the main problem.

Show Answer

Bøgerne er nok det største problem.

Leave the rest at home.

Show Answer

Lad resten blive derhjemme.

Now it's under the limit.

Show Answer

Nu er den under grænsen.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

heavy

Show Answer

tung

limit

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grænsen

strict

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streng

suitcase

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kuffert