Flexible Break Expectations at Work | Learn Danish in English

About This Lesson

Use Flexible Break Expectations at Work to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Jeg er ikke sikker på, hvordan dette team holder pauser.

yai air EG-eh SEG-er poh, voh-DAHN DEH-deh teem HOL-er POW-ser. I'm not sure how this team handles breaks.

Reglerne er fleksible, men det er stadig vigtigt, at der er nogen til stede i åbningstiden.

RAY-ler-neh air flek-SEE-bleh, men deh air STAY-thee VIG-deh, ahd dair air NOH-en teel STAY-theh ee OHB-ning-STAY-then. The policy is flexible, but coverage still matters during service hours.

Så jeg kan gå væk, når det er nødvendigt, så længe der er nogen til rådighed.

soh yai kan goh vek, nor deh air NUHD-ven-dee, soh LENG-eh dair air NOH-en teel ROH-dee-hayth. So I can step away when needed, as long as someone is available.

Du skal bare give folk besked, hvis du bliver væk et stykke tid.

doo skal BAH-reh GEE-veh fohlk beh-SKAYTH, viss doo BLEE-ver vek et STUH-geh teed. Just let people know if you'll be gone for a while.

Det lyder rimeligt. Jeg var bekymret for, at det kunne se ud, som om jeg bare forsvandt.

deh LOO-ther REE-meh-leh. yai vah beh-KUHM-ret fohr, ahd deh KOO-neh say ooth, sawm ohm yai BAH-reh foh-SVANT. That seems fair. I was worried it might look like I was disappearing.

En hurtig besked i teamchatten burde forhindre det.

en HOOR-dee beh-SKAYTH ee TEEM-chat-en BOOR-theh fo-HEN-reh deh. A quick note in the team chat should prevent that.

Skal vi lave en fælles pauseplan i travle perioder?

skal vee LAH-veh en FEL-ess POW-seh-plan ee TROW-leh peh-ree-OH-er? Should we create a shared schedule during busy periods?

Det kunne hjælpe, når flere gerne vil spise frokost på samme tid.

deh KOO-neh YEL-beh, nor FLAY-reh YAH-neh veel SPEE-seh FROH-kost poh SAM-meh teed. That could help when several people want lunch at the same time.

Jeg vil foreslå det ved det næste teammøde.

yai veel foh-SLOH deh veh deh NESS-teh TEEM-MUR-theh. I'll suggest it at the next team check-in.

Så ved alle, hvad de kan forvente.

soh veh AL-leh, va deh kan fo-VENT-eh. Then everyone will know what to expect.

Word by Word

Jeg Jeg is the subject pronoun meaning “I” in Jeg er ikke sikker. It is used as the subject before the verb, as in Jeg vil foreslå det.

er Er is the form of være used here for “am” in Jeg er ikke sikker. Its meaning depends on the subject, and a common pattern is Jeg er + adjective.

ikke Ikke makes the statement negative in Jeg er ikke sikker: the speaker is not sure. It commonly comes before the adjective or other part being negated, as in Jeg er ikke sikker.

sikker Sikker means sure or certain here, describing the speaker’s confidence. In this dialogue it is used with på in sikker på, meaning sure about something.

på På means “about” in sikker på, so the speaker is unsure about how the team handles breaks. A reusable pattern is være sikker på + a thing or clause.

hvordan Hvordan introduces the indirect question about the way the team handles breaks: hvordan dette team holder pauser. It can introduce a clause after expressions such as Jeg ved ikke.

dette Dette means “this” and points to the team being discussed. It comes directly before team in dette team, and this demonstrative can be placed before a noun to identify something nearby or currently relevant.

team Team means a group of people working together, here the workplace group discussing break arrangements. It is used as the noun after dette in dette team.

holder Holder is the present form used for how the team handles its breaks in holder pauser. Here it concerns organizing or taking breaks rather than physically holding something; a common pattern is holde + pauser.

pauser Pauser means breaks, the periods when people stop working. It is the noun after holder in holder pauser, and the same pattern can describe how a group organizes breaks.

Reglerne Reglerne means “the rules” and refers here to the workplace policy. The form identifies specific rules already understood in the conversation, as in Reglerne er fleksible.

fleksible Fleksible describes the rules as flexible rather than fixed. It is placed after Reglerne in Reglerne er fleksible, and adjectives can similarly describe a policy or arrangement.

men Men means “but” and introduces a limitation to the flexibility of the rules. It connects two contrasting parts: the rules are flexible, but coverage still matters.

det Det is a neutral placeholder in det er stadig vigtigt, at der er nogen til stede. The following clause explains what is important; a common pattern is det er vigtigt, at + a clause.

stadig Stadig means “still” in det er stadig vigtigt, showing that the need for coverage remains true despite the flexible policy. It is useful when a situation or requirement continues to apply.

vigtigt Vigtigt means important in det er stadig vigtigt. It evaluates the following situation introduced by at, and a reusable pattern is Det er vigtigt, at + a clause.

at At introduces the clause explaining what is important in vigtigt, at der er nogen til stede. It is used here to connect an evaluation with the situation being evaluated.

der Der is an existential marker in der er nogen til stede, indicating that someone is present or available. A common pattern is der er + a person or thing.

nogen Nogen means “someone” in der er nogen til stede. It refers to an unspecified person who can cover the service, and it commonly follows der er when saying that someone is present or available.

til stede Til stede is the complete expression meaning present or on site. In this expression, til links someone to a state of presence and stede supplies the idea of being present at a place; a common pattern is være til stede.

i I means “in” in i åbningstiden and places the situation within the opening hours. It commonly comes before a place or time period.

åbningstiden Åbningstiden means “the opening hours” and refers to the period when the service is operating. In i åbningstiden, the form identifies the specific opening period relevant to the workplace.

Så Så means “so” at the beginning of Så jeg kan gå væk, introducing a conclusion from the previous explanation. At the beginning of Så ved alle, it can instead mean “then,” referring to the result that follows.

kan Kan expresses ability or permission in kan gå væk: the speaker can step away when needed. It is followed by the infinitive, giving the reusable pattern kan + verb.

gå Gå is the infinitive after kan and means go or walk; with væk, gå væk means go away or step away. A common pattern is kan gå + place or direction.

væk Væk completes gå væk and adds the meaning “away.” The same word also appears in bliver væk, where it describes someone being gone for a period.

når Når introduces the time or condition when stepping away is necessary in når det er nødvendigt. It commonly introduces a subordinate clause describing when something happens.

nødvendigt Nødvendigt means necessary in det er nødvendigt. It describes the situation in which stepping away is needed, and a reusable pattern is når det er nødvendigt.

så længe Så længe means “as long as” and introduces the condition for stepping away. Så contributes the linking sense and længe the duration; a common pattern is så længe + a clause, as in så længe der er nogen til rådighed.

til rådighed Til rådighed is the complete expression meaning available or at someone’s disposal. Til links the person to availability and rådighed expresses that availability; a common pattern is være til rådighed for someone or something.

Du Du is the subject pronoun meaning “you” in Du skal bare give folk besked. It is placed before the verb, as in Du skal + infinitive.

skal Skal expresses a requirement or instruction in Du skal bare give folk besked. In Skal vi lave en fælles pauseplan?, the same form introduces a suggestion or proposal with we; common patterns are Du skal + infinitive and Skal vi + infinitive?

bare Bare softens the instruction in Du skal bare give folk besked, giving the sense “just” or “simply.” It commonly appears after skal before the requested action.

give Give is the infinitive after skal and means give; in give folk besked, it is used to communicate notice to people. A common pattern is give nogen besked.

folk Folk means people and is the person receiving the notice in give folk besked. It follows give directly as the recipient in this expression.

besked Besked means notice or message in give folk besked. The reusable pattern give nogen besked means to let someone know something.

hvis Hvis means “if” and introduces the condition if the person will be away for a while. It commonly begins a conditional clause, as in hvis du bliver væk et stykke tid.

bliver Bliver is the form of blive used with væk in bliver væk, describing someone as becoming or remaining away. The expression blive væk is useful when saying that someone will be gone or stay away.

et stykke tid Et stykke tid is the complete expression meaning “a while.” Et marks one indefinite unit, stykke means a piece or period, and tid means time; it can describe how long someone remains away.

lyder Lyder is the present form of lyde in Det lyder rimeligt and means “sounds.” It is commonly followed by an adjective to give an assessment, as in Det lyder + adjective.

rimeligt Rimeligt means fair or reasonable in Det lyder rimeligt. It gives a positive assessment of the proposed expectation, and the pattern Det lyder rimeligt can be used when accepting an arrangement.

var Var is the past form of være used in Jeg var bekymret, meaning “I was worried.” A common pattern is Jeg var + adjective when describing a past state.

bekymret Bekymret means worried in Jeg var bekymret. It commonly appears with for when identifying what caused the concern, as in være bekymret for + a situation or clause.

for For belongs to the expression bekymret for, meaning worried about or concerned that something may happen. In this dialogue it is followed by at and the clause explaining the concern.

kunne Kunne expresses possibility in det kunne se ud, som om..., meaning that something could appear a certain way. It is followed by the infinitive se, giving the reusable pattern kunne + verb.

se ud Se ud is the complete expression meaning look or seem in kunne se ud, som om. Se supplies the idea of looking and ud completes the outward-appearance expression; a common pattern is se ud, som om + a clause.

som om Som om means “as if” and introduces the imagined appearance in se ud, som om jeg bare forsvandt. Som frames the comparison and om introduces the imagined situation; it is commonly used after expressions of appearance.

forsvandt Forsvandt is the past form used for disappearing in som om jeg bare forsvandt. It presents the disappearance as the impression the speaker was worried others might have.

En En is the indefinite article meaning “a” before hurtig besked. It introduces one unspecified message, as in en + singular noun.

hurtig Hurtig describes the note as quick or brief in En hurtig besked. It comes before the noun besked, and the same position can be used for other adjectives describing a message.

teamchatten Teamchatten means “the team chat” and refers to the specific chat used by the team. In i teamchatten, it names the place where the message is posted.

burde Burde expresses an expectation or mild recommendation in besked ... burde forhindre det: the message ought to prevent the problem. It is followed by the infinitive, as in burde forhindre.

forhindre Forhindre is the infinitive after burde and means prevent. Here it takes det as the thing to be prevented, giving the reusable pattern forhindre + object.

vi Vi is the subject pronoun meaning “we” in Skal vi lave en fælles pauseplan? It identifies the people who would carry out the proposed action.

lave Lave is the infinitive after Skal vi and means make or create in lave en fælles pauseplan. It is followed by the thing being created, here en fælles pauseplan.

fælles Fælles describes the pauseplan as shared by the team. It comes before pauseplan in en fælles pauseplan and can describe an arrangement intended for several people.

pauseplan Pauseplan means “break schedule,” a plan for organizing breaks. It is the object of lave in lave en fælles pauseplan and names the proposed workplace arrangement.

travle Travle describes the periods as busy in travle perioder. It appears before the plural noun perioder and identifies times when many people may need service coverage.

perioder Perioder means periods and refers here to busy stretches of time. It follows i and is modified by travle in i travle perioder.

hjælpe Hjælpe is the infinitive after kunne and means help in Det kunne hjælpe. It describes the possible benefit of creating a shared break schedule.

flere Flere means several in flere gerne vil spise, referring to more than one person without specifying the exact number. It commonly comes before a plural noun, such as flere personer.

gerne Gerne adds willingness or desire in flere gerne vil spise, giving the sense that several people would like to eat lunch. With vil, it is useful for expressing what someone would like to do.

vil Vil is used with gerne to express what several people want to do in gerne vil spise. In Jeg vil foreslå det, it expresses the speaker’s intention to suggest it; a common pattern is vil + infinitive.

spise Spise is the infinitive after vil and means eat in gerne vil spise frokost. It is commonly followed by the meal or food being eaten, as in spise frokost.

frokost Frokost means lunch and is the meal in spise frokost. Danish commonly uses it directly after spise when referring to having lunch.

samme Samme means “same” in på samme tid, showing that the lunch requests occur at one shared time. It is used before tid in this fixed timing expression.

tid Tid means time in på samme tid, where the phrase means “at the same time.” It also appears in et stykke tid, where it refers to a period or while.

foreslå Foreslå is the infinitive after vil and means suggest or propose in Jeg vil foreslå det. It can be followed by the thing being suggested, as in foreslå det.

ved Ved is the preposition meaning “at” in ved det næste teammøde, locating the suggestion at a meeting. It commonly comes before an event or occasion.

næste Næste means next and identifies the team meeting that will follow the current one. It comes before teammøde in det næste teammøde.

teammøde Teammøde means team meeting and names the workplace meeting where the suggestion will be made. It is used after næste in det næste teammøde.

alle Alle means everyone in Så ved alle, referring to all the team members. It is the subject before ved and commonly comes before the verb when saying what everyone knows or does.

hvad Hvad means “what” and introduces the indirect question in hvad de kan forvente. It asks for the content of their expectations and can introduce a clause after a verb such as know.

de De means “they” in hvad de kan forvente and refers to the people on the team. It is the subject before kan in the subordinate clause.

forvente Forvente is the infinitive after kan and means expect in hvad de kan forvente. A common pattern is kan forvente + an object, describing what people should anticipate.

Grammar Points

Bestemt form: -en, -et eller -ne

reglerne; teamchatten

RAY-ler-neh; TEEM-chat-en

the rules; the team chat

Danish often marks a definite noun with a suffix: reglerne and teamchatten mean “the rules” and “the team chat”.

give folk besked

give folk besked

GEE-veh fohlk beh-SKAYTH

let people know

This fixed expression uses give + folk + besked to mean informing or notifying people.

Danish Vocabulary

bliver væk phrase

BLEE-ver vek be away; be gone

et stykke tid phrase

et STUH-geh teed for a while

fleksible adj

flek-SEE-bleh flexible

give folk besked phrase

GEE-veh fohlk beh-SKAYTH let people know

gå væk phrase

goh vek step away

holde pauser phrase

HOL-leh POW-ser take breaks

nødvendigt adj

NUHD-ven-dee necessary

Gender: neuter

reglerne noun

RAY-ler-neh the rules; the policy

sikker adj

SEG-er sure

til rådighed phrase

teel ROH-dee-hayth available

til stede phrase

teel STAY-theh present

vigtigt adj

VIG-deh important

Gender: neuter

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

necessary

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nødvendigt

sure

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sikker

flexible

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fleksible

important

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vigtigt