eftermiddag
common gender
The English word afternoon is eftermiddag in Danish.
eftermiddag is a common-gender noun used to refer to the part of the day between noon and evening.
Meaning: part of the day between noon and evening (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of efter, meaning after and middag, meaning midday or noon.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'this afternoon', use the prepositional phrase i eftermiddag instead of a single word. To refer to a specific afternoon or to 'the afternoon' in a general sense, use the definite form eftermiddagen.
When do people say it?
While eftermiddag refers to the time of day, if you wish to greet someone formally during the morning or afternoon, you can use the general greeting Goddag, which means 'good day'.
Did you know?
- Danish culture places a high value on hygge during the eftermiddag, often involving a coffee break known as kaffepause to transition from work to home life.
- The word middag is also the word used for the 'midday meal' or 'lunch', so 'afternoon' is linguistically linked to the time after eating.
- In Danish, you cannot say 'good afternoon' as a greeting using eftermiddag. Instead, people use the general Goddag or the more time-specific Godmorgen for morning and Godaften for evening.
Examples in context
- Vi ses i eftermiddag.I'll see you this afternoon.The first sentence shows how to use eftermiddag to mean 'this afternoon'.Tatoeba #6902658 by danepo, translation #6808800 by CK
- Ring til mig i eftermiddag.Call me this afternoon.The second sentence demonstrates using eftermiddag to specify when to call someone.Tatoeba #4414503 by danepo, translation #851133 by papabear
- Er du hjemme i eftermiddag?Will you be at home this afternoon?The third sentence illustrates using eftermiddag when asking about someone's availability.Tatoeba #8589472 by danepo, translation #2259918 by _undertoad
- 46 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mette and Lucas are planning a meeting time.
- MetteHar du tid i eftermiddag?Do you have time this afternoon?
- LucasJa, jeg er ledig efter klokken to.Yes, I am free after two o'clock.
- MetteSkal vi mødes i byen?Shall we meet in town?
- LucasDet lyder perfekt, Mette.That sounds perfect, Mette.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “afternoon” translations and entries eftermiddag, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
