Handling Noise Politely in a Quiet Area | Learn Danish in English

Danish lesson set in a contemporary Copenhagen everyday setting: In a library silent area, two adults decide how to politely respond when nearby people are talking..

EN → DA / Level: B1

About This Lesson

Use Handling Noise Politely in a Quiet Area to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

De mennesker bag os taler i stilleområdet.

dee MEN-uh-skuh beh ohss TAY-lur ee STEL-uh-ohm-raw-uh The people behind us are talking in the silent area.
B

Det distraherer os, men vi kan håndtere det på en høflig måde.

deh dee-strah-AY-uh ohss, men vee kan HAWN-tay-ruh deh poh en HURF-lee MOH-thuh It's distracting, but we can handle it politely.
A

Skal jeg tale med dem eller spørge bibliotekaren?

skal yay TAY-luh meh dem EL-uh SPUR-uh bee-blee-oh-teh-KAIR-n Should I speak to them or ask the librarian?
B

Prøv først at give dem en stille påmindelse, medmindre det føles ubehageligt.

pruhv furst at GEE-vuh dem en STEE-luh poh-MEN-uhl-suh, meh-MIN-druh deh FURL-us oo-beh-HAI-uh-lee Try a quiet reminder first, unless that feels uncomfortable.
A

Jeg kunne bede dem om at tage samtalen udenfor.

yay KOO-nuh BAY-thuh dem om at TAY-uh SAHM-tah-lun OO-thun-FOHR I could ask them to take the conversation outside.
B

Så er det tydeligt, uden at det lyder uhøfligt.

soh air deh TOO-thuh-lee, OO-thun at deh LOO-thuh oo-HURF-lee That keeps it clear without sounding rude.
A

Hvis de bliver ved med at tale, kan vi bede bibliotekaren om at gribe ind.

ves dee BLEE-wuh vay meh at TAY-luh, kan vee BAY-thuh bee-blee-oh-teh-KAIR-n om at GREE-buh ENN If they keep talking, we can ask the librarian to step in.
B

På den måde bliver det ikke til en scene.

poh den MOH-thuh BLEE-wuh deh IK-uh til en SAY-nuh That way, it doesn't turn into a scene.
A

Jeg vil hellere gøre det end at klage højlydt.

yay vil HEL-uh-ruh GUR-thuh deh en at KLAY-uh HOY-lewt I'd rather do that than complain loudly.
B

Lad os spørge stille og roligt, og så kan vi gå tilbage til at læse.

laht ohss SPUR-uh STEE-luh oh ROH-lee, oh soh kan vee goh til-BAY-uh til at LAY-suh Let's ask quietly, then get back to studying.

Word by Word

De “De” means “the” in “De mennesker bag os” and introduces the people being discussed. As a new example, “de” can also mean “they,” but here it is the article before “mennesker”.
mennesker “mennesker” means “people” in “De mennesker bag os.” It refers to the nearby people who are talking, and it commonly follows “de” when referring to particular people.
bag “bag” means “behind” in “bag os,” locating the people relative to the speakers. It is commonly followed by the person or thing that is behind something.
os “os” means “us” in “bag os,” showing that the speakers are the reference point. It also appears in “distraherer os,” where it identifies the people affected.
taler “taler” says that the people are talking in “taler i stilleområdet.” It is used with “med” in “tale med dem” when referring to speaking with someone.
i “i” means “in” in “i stilleområdet,” locating the talking inside the silent area. It commonly introduces a place where an action happens.
stilleområdet “stilleområdet” means “the silent area” in “i stilleområdet.” The ending “-området” makes it a definite place name here, and the whole word follows “i” to show location.
Det “Det” means “it” in “Det distraherer os,” referring to the nearby talking as the thing causing distraction. Danish uses this form at the start of the sentence before the verb “distraherer.”
distraherer “distraherer” means “distracts” in “Det distraherer os.” The person or people affected can follow it directly, as “os” does here.
men “men” means “but” in “men vi kan håndtere det,” introducing a qualification to the distraction. It connects two parts of a sentence with an opposing or limiting idea.
vi “vi” means “we” in “vi kan håndtere det,” identifying the speakers as the people who can deal with the situation. It commonly comes before a verb or modal verb such as “kan.”
kan “kan” means “can” in “vi kan håndtere det,” expressing that the speakers are able to deal with the situation. It is followed by the infinitive form “håndtere”.
håndtere “håndtere” means “handle” or “deal with” in “håndtere det.” After “kan,” it states the action the speakers are able to carry out, and the object “det” identifies the situation.
på “på” is part of the expression “på en høflig måde,” meaning “in a polite way.” In this phrase it introduces the manner in which something is done.
en “en” means “a” in “en høflig måde,” introducing one way or manner. It comes before the noun phrase “høflig måde” here.
høflig “høflig” means “polite” in “en høflig måde,” describing the manner of handling the situation. It is placed before the noun “måde” in this phrase.
måde “måde” means “way” or “manner” in “på en høflig måde.” Together with “på en høflig,” it describes how an action is carried out.
Skal “Skal” asks whether the speaker should do something in “Skal jeg tale med dem?” It appears at the beginning because the sentence is a question, followed by “jeg” and the action “tale.”
jeg “jeg” means “I” in “Skal jeg tale med dem?” and “Jeg kunne bede dem.” It identifies the speaker as the person considering or proposing the action.
tale “tale” means “speak” or “talk” in “tale med dem.” The preposition “med” follows it when the action is speaking with people.
med “med” means “with” in “tale med dem,” identifying the people the speaker would speak to. It can introduce the other participant in an interaction.
dem “dem” means “them” in “tale med dem” and “give dem en stille påmindelse.” It refers to the people who are talking in the silent area.
eller “eller” means “or” in “tale med dem eller spørge bibliotekaren,” presenting two possible actions. It joins the two alternatives “tale med dem” and “spørge bibliotekaren.”
spørge “spørge” means “ask” in “spørge bibliotekaren.” It is followed directly by the person being asked, “bibliotekaren,” in this sentence.
bibliotekaren “bibliotekaren” means “the librarian” in “spørge bibliotekaren.” It identifies the specific person who could be asked for help, and it follows “spørge” as the person being asked.
Prøv “Prøv” means “try” in “Prøv først at give dem en stille påmindelse.” It introduces a suggestion and is followed by “at give” to name the suggested action.
først “først” means “first” in “Prøv først,” setting the order of the proposed response. It shows that the quiet reminder should be attempted before asking the librarian.
at “at” marks the infinitive in “at give dem en stille påmindelse.” It links “Prøv” to the action being suggested.
give “give” means “give” in “give dem en stille påmindelse,” describing the action of offering a quiet reminder to them. The recipient comes before the thing given: “dem” before “en stille påmindelse.”
stille “stille” means “quiet” in “en stille påmindelse,” describing a reminder delivered without loud or forceful speech. It comes before the noun “påmindelse” here.
påmindelse “påmindelse” means “reminder” in “en stille påmindelse.” It is the thing being given to the people, as shown by “give dem en stille påmindelse.”
medmindre “medmindre” means “unless” in “medmindre det føles ubehageligt,” introducing the condition that limits the suggestion. It is followed by the situation that might make the action uncomfortable.
føles “føles” means “feels” in “det føles ubehageligt,” describing how the proposed action seems to the speakers. It is used with “det” and an adjective describing the feeling.
ubehageligt “ubehageligt” means “uncomfortable” in “det føles ubehageligt.” It describes the feeling of the suggested action after “føles.”
kunne “kunne” expresses a possible or tentative action in “Jeg kunne bede dem,” meaning “I could ask them.” It is followed by the infinitive “bede.”
bede “bede” means “ask” or “request” in “bede dem om at tage samtalen udenfor.” The construction includes the person asked, “dem,” followed by “om” and the requested action.
om “om” is part of the request construction “bede dem om at tage samtalen udenfor.” It links the people being asked with the action requested from them.
tage “tage” means “take” in “tage samtalen udenfor,” describing moving the conversation outside. It follows “at” in the construction “om at tage.”
samtalen “samtalen” means “the conversation” in “tage samtalen udenfor.” It is the thing that should be taken outside, and the definite form refers to the conversation the people are having.
udenfor “udenfor” means “outside” in “tage samtalen udenfor.” It gives the destination or location for the conversation.
Så “Så” means “so” in “Så er det tydeligt,” referring to the result of making the request. In “og så kan vi gå tilbage,” the same word can mean “then” and marks the next action.
er “er” means “is” in “er det tydeligt,” describing the result as clear. It connects “det” with the description “tydeligt.”
tydeligt “tydeligt” means “clear” in “er det tydeligt,” describing how the request comes across. It follows “er” to state the result or quality of the situation.
uden “uden” means “without” in “uden at det lyder uhøfligt,” stating that the request can be clear without sounding rude. It introduces the action or condition that is avoided.
lyder “lyder” means “sounds” in “det lyder uhøfligt,” describing how the request comes across to others. It is followed by the description “uhøfligt.”
uhøfligt “uhøfligt” means “rude” or “impolite” in “lyder uhøfligt.” It describes the impression the request should avoid giving.
Hvis “Hvis” means “if” in “Hvis de bliver ved med at tale,” introducing a condition for the next step. It places the condition before the result, “kan vi bede bibliotekaren om at gribe ind.”
bliver ved med at “bliver ved med at” means “keep on doing” in “bliver ved med at tale,” saying that the people continue talking. The components work together: “bliver” and “ved” form the continuation, “med at” links it to the action “tale”; the reusable pattern is “bliver ved med at” plus an action.
gribe ind “gribe ind” means “intervene” or “step in” in “bede bibliotekaren om at gribe ind.” The components form one expression: “gribe” provides the verb and “ind” completes the expression; it is used for taking action in a situation that needs intervention.
den “den” means “the” or “that” in “På den måde,” referring to the manner just described. The phrase “På den måde” is used to connect an action with its intended result.
ikke “ikke” means “not” in “bliver det ikke til en scene,” negating the result. It appears before “til en scene” to say that the situation does not become a scene.
til “til” means “into” in “bliver det ikke til en scene,” describing the result that the situation does not become. It is part of the construction “blive til” for a change into something.
scene “scene” means “scene” in “til en scene,” referring here to a noticeable or disruptive public incident. It follows “en” after the expression “blive til.”
vil “vil” expresses preference in “Jeg vil hellere gøre det,” meaning that the speaker would rather do that. It is used together with “hellere” and is followed by the action “gøre.”
hellere “hellere” means “rather” in “vil hellere gøre det end at klage højlydt.” It marks the preferred action and is paired with “end” before the less preferred alternative.
gøre “gøre” means “do” in “gøre det,” referring to the previously proposed action of responding quietly. After “vil hellere,” it names the action the speaker prefers.
end “end” means “than” in “hellere gøre det end at klage højlydt,” introducing the alternative that is not preferred. It connects the preferred action with “at klage højlydt.”
klage “klage” means “complain” in “klage højlydt.” It names the alternative action the speaker would rather avoid.
højlydt “højlydt” means “loudly” in “klage højlydt,” describing the manner of complaining. It comes after the action “klage” and specifies that the complaint would be loud.
Lad “Lad” means “let” in “Lad os spørge stille og roligt,” introducing a suggestion for the speakers to act together. The construction “Lad os” is used to propose “let's” do the following action.
og “og” means “and” in “og så kan vi gå tilbage til at læse,” linking the quiet request with the next step. It joins the two actions in the plan.
gå “gå” means “go” in “gå tilbage til at læse,” describing returning to studying. It follows “kan vi” and is followed by “tilbage” to show the return.
tilbage “tilbage” means “back” in “gå tilbage til at læse,” showing a return to the previous activity. It commonly follows “gå” when describing going back somewhere or to something.
læse “læse” means “read” or “study” in “gå tilbage til at læse,” referring to resuming study. It follows “til at” as the activity the speakers return to.

Grammar Points

bliver ved med at + infinitiv

Mennesker bliver ved med at tale.

MEN-uh-skuh BLEE-wuh vay meh at TAY-luh

People keep talking.

This fixed structure means that an action continues. The verb after at stays in the infinitive.

medmindre + sætning

Medmindre samtalen bliver ubehagelig.

meh-MIN-druh SAHM-tah-lun BLEE-wuh oo-beh-HAI-uh-lee

Unless the conversation becomes uncomfortable.

Medmindre introduces an exception or condition and means “unless.”

Danish Vocabulary

bag prep
beh behind

bag os

bibliotekaren noun
bee-blee-oh-teh-KAIR-n the librarian

spørge bibliotekaren

distraherer verb
dee-strah-AY-uh distracts

Det distraherer os

høflig adj
HURF-lee polite

på en høflig måde

håndtere verb
HAWN-tay-ruh handle

vi kan håndtere det

medmindre conj
meh-MIN-druh unless

medmindre det føles ubehageligt

mennesker noun
MEN-uh-skuh people

De mennesker bag os

påmindelse noun
poh-MEN-uhl-suh reminder

en stille påmindelse

spørge verb
SPUR-uh ask

eller spørge bibliotekaren

stilleområdet noun
STEL-uh-ohm-raw-uh the silent area

i stilleområdet

tale verb
TAY-luh speak; talk

at tale med dem

ubehageligt adj
oo-beh-HAI-uh-lee uncomfortable

det føles ubehageligt

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

handle

Show Answerhåndtere

distracts

Show Answerdistraherer

polite

Show Answerhøflig

ask

Show Answerspørge