Danish 18

2026/03/06

PD2 exam notes: fill-in-the-blanks

Besides vocabulary and grammar, these points are often what decide whether you get the blank right:

1. Look for sentence signals

Common words in this text that show cause, result, contrast, time, or concession:

If you identify the function first, it is much easier to guess the missing word.

2. Watch the word class

Before filling a blank, ask:

Very often the surrounding words tell you the answer type before they tell you the exact word.

3. Learn fixed expressions, not only single words

These are especially useful in PD2 texts:

If you remember chunks, you can often fill a blank even if you are unsure about the whole sentence.

4. Pay attention to references

In gap-fill exercises, a blank is often a small word that refers back to something earlier:

Always check what or who the word refers to in the previous clause.

5. Read for tone and logic

This text moves through a problem, a solution, and a positive ending:

When the meaning changes, the connector is often the key to the right answer.

6. Quick exam method

  1. Read the whole text once without filling anything in.
  2. Mark whether each blank needs a noun, verb, adjective, pronoun, preposition, or connector.
  3. Check collocations and fixed expressions.
  4. Re-read the full sentence to test meaning and word order.
  5. At the end, read the whole text aloud in your head to see whether it sounds natural.

7. What to review for this topic

PD2 grammar cheat sheet

Present tense and perfect forms

Subordinate clauses

Common starters:

Examples:

Word order in main clauses

When a sentence starts with another element, the verb usually comes before the subject:

This is very common in PD2 gap-fill tasks.

Pronouns and reference words

Always check the nearest logical reference.

Prepositions and particles to review

Useful connector meanings

Useful opposites and reactions

These pairs are useful because PD2 often tests meaning through contrast.

Mini test

Try to answer without looking at the original text.

  1. Why does Magnus take the train instead of the car?
  2. Fill in the blank: Han har hverken husket at få sin pung eller sin ___ med.
  3. Which phrase means at the last moment: i sidste øjeblik or lige nu?
  4. Fill in the blank: Den unge kvinde tilbyder at købe en ___ til ham.
  5. Which word shows result: derfor or selvom?
  6. What is the difference between lettet and nervøs?
  7. Fill in the blank: Han spørger, om hun vil med ud og drikke en kop ___ i weekenden.
  8. Which is correct: betale hende tilbage or betale tilbage hende?
  9. Why is Magnus satisfied when he goes home after the interview?
  10. What changes at the end of the story compared with the problem at the station?

Answers

Show answers
  1. Because his car will not start.
  2. telefon
  3. i sidste øjeblik
  4. billet
  5. derfor
  6. lettet means relieved; nervøs means nervous.
  7. kaffe
  8. betale hende tilbage
  9. Because the interview goes well.
  10. The stressful problem turns into a positive meeting, and Magnus ends the story with success and a coffee date.

Magnus fra Sorø har søgt et job som kok på en fin restaurant i København, og nu er han glad og spændt, for han er blevet bedt om at komme til jobsamtale.

spændt = excited

blev bedt om at = was asked to

jobsamtale = job interview

Magnus from Sorø has applied for a job as a chef at a fancy restaurant in Copenhagen, and now he is happy and excited, because he has been asked to come to a job interview.

Magnus har planlagt at tage bilen til København, men da han sætter sig ind i sin bil for at tage afsted, vil den ikke starte. Derfor cykler han hurtigt hen til stationen for tage toget. Da han kommer derhen, er der ikke ret lang tid til, at toget til København kører, så Magnus skynder sig hen til automaten for at købe en billet. Men da han skal betale, opdager han et nyt problem: han har hverken husket at få sin pung eller sin telefon med. Magnus ved ikke, hvad han skal gøre, for han vil ikke tage toget uden billet.

sætter sig ind i = gets into

tage afsted = leave

hurtigt = quickly

derhen = there

kører = leaves

skynder sig = hurries

opdager = discovers

hverken … eller = neither … nor

Magnus has planned to take the car to Copenhagen, but when he gets into his car to leave, it won’t start. Therefore he quickly cycles to the station to take the train. When he gets there, there isn’t much time until the train to Copenhagen leaves, so Magnus hurries to the machine to buy a ticket. But when he has to pay, he discovers a new problem: he has neither remembered to bring his wallet nor his phone. Magnus doesn’t know what to do, because he doesn’t want to take the train without a ticket.

Bagved Magnus står der en ung kvinde, som kan se, at han ikke kan betale. Og selvom de ikke kender hinanden, tilbyder hun at købe en billet til ham. Magnus takker den fremmede kvinde mange gange. Han får hendes telefonnummer, så han kan betale hende pengene tilbage senere, og han når toget i sidste øjeblik. Da han sidder i toget, er han lettet, men også lidt nervøs, for han tænker på, hvordan samtalen vil gå. Den går heldigvis godt, så da Magnus tager hjem, er han ret tilfreds.

bagved = behind

tilbyder = offers

fremmede = stranger

senere = later

i sidste øjeblik = at the last moment

lettet = relieved

Behind Magnus stands a young woman, who can see that he cannot pay. And even though they do not know each other, she offers to buy a ticket for him. Magnus thanks the stranger many times. He gets her phone number, so he can pay her back later, and he catches the train at the last moment. When he sits on the train, he is relieved, but also a little nervous, because he thinks about how the interview will go. Fortunately, it goes well, so when Magnus goes home, he is quite satisfied.

Derhjemme betaler han straks den hjælpsomme kvinde med MobilePay. Men han sender hende ikke kun pengene, men også en sms, hvor han spørger, om hun vil med ud og drikke en kop kaffe i weekenden. Det vil hun gerne. Og om lørdagen mødes de på en café i Sorø, og denne gang har Magnus ikke glemt sin pung, så det er selvfølgelig ham, der betaler for kaffen.

straks = immediately

At home, he immediately pays the helpful woman with MobilePay. But he doesn’t just send her the money, but also a text message, where he asks if she wants to go out and have a cup of coffee in the weekend. She would like that. And on Saturday they meet at a café in Sorø, and this time Magnus hasn’t forgotten his wallet, so of course it’s him who pays for the coffee.

Some unused words: