Fra søndag til mandag

A booking uses fra … til … for its endpoints and for en nat for what is booked. Jeg vil gerne bestille … is a polite, straightforward request.

Ask Er morgenmad med i prisen? rather than translating every English word. Først before a date can mean not until: slutter først den tredivte juni.

Har boet i / før / efter

Use the perfect for an activity continuing into the present: jeg har boet her i ti år. I gives the duration; siden gives the starting point.

A completed earlier period uses simple past: jeg boede i Hamborg i ti år.

Short clauses with før or efter can be introduced naturally while keeping the interview language simple.

Ingen / nogen / alle

Use ingen for nobody and alle for everyone. Nogen often appears in questions and negatives: Er der nogen hjemme?, Jeg kender ikke nogen. Nogle usually means some particular plural things in an affirmative sentence.

An invitation can be short: Kom til middag på lørdag. Travlt normally occurs in have travlt.

Fordi / da / derfor

Retell a reason with fordi, a finished past occasion with da, and a result with derfor.

In a subordinate clause, ikke precedes the finite verb: fordi han ikke kunne finde den.

After derfor at the front of a main clause, use inversion: derfor er tingene ovenpå.

Keep clauses short instead of adding unnecessary relative constructions.

Hvis / vil / bliver

Consolidate present, past and perfect forms in a real decision: jeg bliver, jeg sagde nej, jeg har besluttet mig.

A simple condition uses hvis: Hvis du kommer, tager vi til søen.

The clause beginning with hvis has ordinary subject–verb order; the following main clause begins with its finite verb.

Danish does not require a special future tense after hvis.