Organizing account activity | Learn Danish in English

Danish lesson set in a contemporary Copenhagen everyday setting: At a banking support desk, two adults discuss organizing account activity so recurring services and unusual payments are easier to notice..

EN → DA / Level: B2

About This Lesson

Use Organizing account activity to practice Danish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Jeg prøver at skelne mellem fast kontoaktivitet og lejlighedsvise betalinger.

yai PRUH-uh eh SGAYL-nuh MEL-um FAST KON-toh-ak-tee-vee-TAYD oh LIE-lee-uhd-VEE-suh beh-TAY-ling-uh. I'm trying to separate routine account activity from occasional payments.
B

Det kan hjælpe dig med at se, hvilke tjenester der fornyes automatisk.

deh kan YEL-buh dai meh eh SAY, VIL-kuh CHEN-uhs-duh dair for-NOO-us ow-toh-MAY-dessg. That can help you see which services renew automatically.
A

Det svære er at opdage ændringer, før de drukner i mængden.

deh SVAIR-uh air eh up-DOH-uh EN-dring-uh, fur dee DROONG-nuh ee MENG-den. The hard part is noticing changes before they get buried.
B

Det kan måske hjælpe mere at samle lignende betalinger end at stole på påmindelser.

deh kan MAW-skay YEL-buh MAIR eh SAM-luh LING-nuh beh-TAY-ling-uh en eh STOH-luh paw paw-MEN-el-suh. Grouping similar payments may help more than relying on reminders.
A

Jeg kunne bruge ét særskilt kort til faste tjenester.

yai KOO-nuh BROO-uh ayt SAIR-sgild KORT tehl FAST-uh CHEN-uhs-duh. I could use one dedicated card for regular services.
B

Så ville usædvanlig aktivitet skille sig hurtigere ud.

soh VIL-uh oo-SAYD-vane-lee ak-tee-vee-TAYD SGAY-luh sai HOOR-dee-uh OOD. Then unusual activity would stand out more quickly.
A

Det kunne også gøre min hovedkonto mindre rodet.

deh KOO-nuh AW-soh GUR min HOH-uhd-kon-toh MEN-uh ROH-thuhd. It might also keep my main account less cluttered.
B

Mere overskuelige optegnelser kan gøre fremtidige beslutninger lettere.

MAIR OH-uh-SGOO-uh-lee OP-tine-el-suh kan GUR FREM-tee-thuh beh-SLOOT-ning-uh LEH-duh. Cleaner records can make future decisions easier.

Word by Word

Jeg “Jeg” means “I” and is the person carrying out the action in “Jeg prøver”. It is used when you state your own action, opinion, or plan.
prøver In “Jeg prøver at skelne”, “prøver” means “am trying”. It is used with “at” and an infinitive to describe an effort or attempt, for example when trying to organize something.
at In “at skelne”, “at” marks the infinitive that follows “prøver”. A useful pattern is “prøver at” followed by the action being attempted.
skelne “Skelne” means to distinguish or tell things apart in this dialogue. The reusable construction is “skelne mellem” two categories, as in separating one type of payment from another.
mellem “Mellem” means “between” in “skelne mellem fast kontoaktivitet og lejlighedsvise betalinger”. It introduces the two things or groups being distinguished.
fast In “fast kontoaktivitet”, “fast” describes activity that is regular or fixed rather than occasional. It is useful before a noun when identifying something stable or recurring.
kontoaktivitet “Kontoaktivitet” means account activity, such as the activity recorded on an account. Here it is one of the two categories being distinguished.
og “Og” means “and” and links “fast kontoaktivitet” with “lejlighedsvise betalinger”. It connects items that are presented together in a list or comparison.
lejlighedsvise In “lejlighedsvise betalinger”, “lejlighedsvise” means occasional or happening from time to time. It describes payments that are not part of the regular activity.
betalinger “Betalinger” means payments and refers to amounts paid from the account. Here it is the second category after “skelne mellem”.
Det In “Det kan hjælpe dig”, “Det” means “that” or “it” and refers back to the suggested way of organizing the account activity. It can point to a previously mentioned action or idea.
kan “Kan” expresses that something can or may help in “Det kan hjælpe dig”. It is followed directly by an infinitive, as in “kan hjælpe”, when describing a possible effect or ability.
hjælpe “Hjælpe” means “help” in “kan hjælpe dig med at se”. This construction can be reused with a person after “hjælpe” and an action introduced by “med at”.
dig “Dig” means “you” as the person receiving the help in “hjælpe dig”. It identifies who benefits from or is affected by the action.
med In “hjælpe dig med at se”, “med” is part of the construction meaning help someone with an action. The reusable pattern is “hjælpe” plus a person, “med at”, and the action.
se “Se” means “see”, here with the sense of identifying which services renew automatically. It follows “med at” and introduces what the person should be able to identify.
hvilke “Hvilke” means “which” and selects particular services from a group in “hvilke tjenester”. It is used before the plural noun whose members are being identified.
tjenester “Tjenester” means services and refers to recurring services connected with the account. In this sentence, the services are the ones that are renewed automatically.
der In “tjenester der fornyes automatisk”, “der” links “tjenester” to the clause describing them. A reusable pattern is a noun followed by “der” and information about that noun.
fornyes “Fornyes” means “are renewed” in relation to the services. The form focuses on the services receiving the renewal, without saying who performs it.
automatisk “Automatisk” means “automatically” and explains that the services renew without a separate manual action each time. It modifies “fornyes” in this sentence.
svære In “Det svære”, “svære” means “the difficult part” or “what is difficult”. The expression “Det svære er at” introduces the aspect of a situation that presents a problem.
er In “Det svære er at opdage”, “er” links the difficult part with the action that defines it. A useful pattern is “X er at” followed by an infinitive describing X.
opdage “Opdage” means notice or discover, especially noticing changes before they disappear among many records. It can be used with the thing that is noticed as its object.
ændringer “Ændringer” means changes and refers here to changes in account activity. It is the thing that the speaker wants to notice.
før “Før” means “before” and introduces the time condition in “før de drukner i mængden”. It is useful before a clause describing what must happen first or what should be noticed in time.
de In “de drukner”, “de” means “they” and refers back to “ændringer”. It is the subject of the clause introduced by “før”.
drukner In “drukner i mængden”, “drukner” literally relates to drowning but here means that the changes become buried or hard to notice among many records. The expression describes information being overwhelmed by a larger amount.
i In “i mængden”, “i” means “in” and places the changes metaphorically within the mass of other information. It introduces the noun that surrounds or contains something.
mængden “Mængden” means “the mass” or “the quantity” in “drukner i mængden”. Here it refers to the large amount of account activity in which changes may become difficult to see.
måske “Måske” means “perhaps” and makes the suggestion in “Det kan måske hjælpe” less definite. It is useful when presenting a possible benefit rather than a certainty.
mere In “hjælpe mere end”, “mere” means “more” and compares the effectiveness of grouping payments with relying on reminders. It can be used with a verb before “end” to compare two approaches.
samle “Samle” means group or collect in “at samle lignende betalinger”. It is used with the things being brought together, here similar payments.
lignende In “lignende betalinger”, “lignende” means similar and identifies payments that have relevant features in common. It is placed before the noun it describes.
end “End” means “than” in the comparison “mere ... end at stole på påmindelser”. It introduces the alternative method being compared with grouping payments.
stole på “Stole på” means rely on or trust, as in relying on reminders. “Stole” provides the idea of trusting or depending, while “på” is the required preposition that introduces what is trusted; the construction is “stole på” plus its object.
påmindelser “Påmindelser” means reminders and is the thing one might rely on in “stole på påmindelser”. It refers to notices intended to help someone remember an action.
kunne In “Jeg kunne bruge”, “kunne” expresses a possible plan or suggestion, translated here as “could”. It is followed directly by the infinitive “bruge”.
bruge “Bruge” means use in the suggested plan “kunne bruge ét særskilt kort”. It takes the item being used as its object.
ét “Ét” specifies one single item in “ét særskilt kort”. The accent helps emphasize the number one, which is useful when proposing a single dedicated option.
særskilt In “særskilt kort”, “særskilt” means separate or dedicated to a particular purpose. Here it describes a card set apart for regular services.
kort “Kort” means card in “ét særskilt kort”. It is the object of “bruge” and the practical tool proposed for handling regular services.
til In “kort til faste tjenester”, “til” means “for” and introduces the purpose of the card. A useful pattern is a noun followed by “til” and the activity or purpose it is intended for.
faste In “faste tjenester”, “faste” means regular or fixed and describes services that recur as part of a routine. It identifies the services intended for the dedicated card.
Så At the beginning of “Så ville usædvanlig aktivitet ...”, “Så” means “then” and introduces the expected result of using a separate card. It can connect a proposed action with its consequence.
ville In “Så ville ... skille sig ud”, “ville” expresses the expected or hypothetical result, translated as “would”. It is useful when describing what would happen if the proposed arrangement were used.
usædvanlig “Usædvanlig” means unusual and describes activity that does not fit the normal pattern. It helps identify the kind of activity that should become noticeable.
aktivitet “Aktivitet” means activity and is the subject of “skille sig ud”. Here it refers to transactions or other movements that appear on the account.
skille sig ud “Skille sig ud” means stand out or be noticeable. “Skille” supplies the idea of separating, “sig” marks the relation back to the subject, and “ud” completes the expression by showing that it stands out from its surroundings; the whole phrase is useful for unusual activity or features.
hurtigere “Hurtigere” means “more quickly” and describes the unusual activity becoming noticeable sooner. It is a comparative form used to compare the speed of noticing something.
også “Også” means “also” and adds another possible benefit in “Det kunne også gøre”. It signals that this is an additional effect alongside the one already mentioned.
gøre In “gøre min hovedkonto mindre rodet”, “gøre” means make or cause something to become a certain way. A useful pattern is “gøre” plus an object and a description of the resulting condition.
min “Min” means “my” and shows that the main account belongs to or is associated with the speaker. It is placed before “hovedkonto” to identify the particular account.
hovedkonto “Hovedkonto” means main account and refers to the account used as the primary place for activity. It is the object that the proposed arrangement may make less cluttered.
mindre In “mindre rodet”, “mindre” means “less” and reduces the degree of clutter. It is used before the description of the resulting condition.
rodet “Rodet” means cluttered or messy in “gøre min hovedkonto mindre rodet”. It describes the account after the proposed organization and is part of the result expressed with “gøre”.
overskuelige In “overskuelige optegnelser”, “overskuelige” means clear and easy to review or get an overview of. It describes records that are organized enough to support later decisions.
optegnelser “Optegnelser” means records or written account entries. Here it refers to the organized information that can make future decisions easier.
fremtidige In “fremtidige beslutninger”, “fremtidige” means future and points to decisions that will be made later. It is placed before the noun it describes.
beslutninger “Beslutninger” means decisions and refers to choices that may be made using clearer records. In “gøre fremtidige beslutninger lettere”, it is the thing whose task or process becomes easier.
lettere “Lettere” means “easier” and describes the result for future decisions in “gøre fremtidige beslutninger lettere”. It is used after “gøre” to state that an activity or task becomes less difficult.

Grammar Points

fornyes + automatisk

Tjenester fornyes automatisk.

CHEN-uhs-duh for-NOO-us ow-toh-MAY-dessg.

Services are renewed automatically.

Danish uses the -s passive: fornyes means “are renewed”. The adverb automatisk describes how the action happens.

Danish Vocabulary

automatisk adv
ow-toh-MAY-dessg automatically

fornyes automatisk

betalinger noun
beh-TAY-ling-uh payments
Gender
common
fast adj
FAST regular; fixed

fast kontoaktivitet

fornyes verb
for-NOO-us are renewed; renew

tjenester der fornyes automatisk

hjælpe verb
YEL-buh help

kan hjælpe dig

kontoaktivitet noun
kon-TOH-ak-tee-vee-TAYD account activity
Gender
common
lejlighedsvise adj
LIE-lee-uhd-VEE-suh occasional

lejlighedsvise betalinger

mellem prep
MEL-um between

mellem fast kontoaktivitet og lejlighedsvise betalinger

opdage verb
up-DOH-uh notice; discover

at opdage ændringer

prøver verb
PRUH-uh try

Jeg prøver at skelne

skelne verb
SGAYL-nuh distinguish; separate

at skelne mellem

tjenester noun
CHEN-uhs-duh services
Gender
common

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

regular; fixed

Show Answerfast

distinguish; separate

Show Answerskelne

help

Show Answerhjælpe

payments

Show Answerbetalinger