How To Master Danish Verb Conjugation In 4 Simple Steps

It has not entirely escaped me that tackling verb conjugation when learning Danish or any new language is very few people’s idea of a groovy time.

It tends to feel a bit like being sent back to school, to classes where time passes so slowly it seems to defy the laws of nature, doesn’t it?

Conjugation, in other words, the way verbs change according to person, number or tense, is no joking matter. I recall working my way through German verb and adjective conjugation, so I can appreciate the apprehension you might feel.

But Danish isn’t anything like German in this regard. In fact, Danish verb conjugation is even easier than English. And English wasn’t too hard was it? So keep cool, read on, and you will be well on your way!

What Is Danish Verb Conjugation And What Is It Good For?

When you conjugate a verb, you mark the time at which something happens/happened. From the future, to right now, to things that were done in the past.

In many languages, it also marks which person does it – I, you, she, we or they, for example.

Luckily, unlike English, Danish verbs are not inflected (changed) for person or pronoun, it stays the same all the way through.

In practice, this means that where English has:

I am, you are, he/she/it is, we are, you are, they are,

The Danish verb er (be) conjugated looks like this:

Jeg er, du er, han/hun/den/det er, vi er, I er, de er.

And this is true for all verbs, without exception. Unless you throw yourself into literature from a few centuries ago, when verbs used to be marked for person. But let’s leave that for the moment, and enjoy one thing less to worry about! 

That leaves us with time, or tense in grammatical terms. This however, is a significant aspect. It adds dynamics to the communication, and without it, much confusion and weeping and gnashing of teeth would arise.

Tense, in this regard, also includes such forms as infinitive and imperative. To get a better grip of these somewhat abstract notions, let’s have a look at a few examples. First the verb conjugation in English, then the Danish equivalent.

Please note that I, fancying myself a kind-hearted fellow, have only included regular verbs in Danish grammar in the above.

They do have a vicious cousin, and we’ll have a brief look at those pesky rascals in a short while. But for now, let’s see what we can make of the table above.

The Danish Infinitive

The infinitive is the form you use when looking up a verb in the dictionary. You will notice that this form is created in Danish by adding an -e to the base form (imperative).

Sometimes, the vowel will be doubled in the process – like gemme, which is primarily to do with Danish pronunciation.

Another exception is when the base form ends in a vowel – like tro, to which no -e is added.

But in the vast majority of cases, putting an “e” in the end gets you the infinitive form.

Danish Present Tense

Adding -r to the infinitive creates the present tense. With two very important exceptions, which I will address later, this is true for all verbs in Danish, even the dreaded Danish irregular verbs.

Danish Past Tense & Perfect Participle

The Danish past tense is, as shown, slightly more tricky. Generally, there are two groups; in the first one, you remove the “e” from the infinitive, and replace it with a “-te” – like spiste. In the other, you simply add “-de” or “ede” to create past tense, like troede.

The same two groups can be used for creating the perfect participle. In the first group, just remove the “e” from the past tense – hørt. As for the second group, add “-t” or “-et” to the infinitive form.

Danish verb conjugation, piece of cake, right?

The Danish Imperative

The imperative is what you use, when your urge to boss Danes around takes over, as it probably will. As this is the shortest form of a verb, it's often known as the root.

The Danish Future

In case you wondering how the future form is created, I can console you with the fact that this is very simple. You just use the modal verb vil (will) + infinitive, as in:

• Jeg vil lære at bøje danske verber denne sommer (I am going to/ want to learn conjugation of Danish verbs this summer).

Or use the modal verbs skal or må (the latter is slightly old-fashioned), if it's something you are in some way obliged to;

• Jeg skal hente min lillebror fra tandlægen (I must/have to pick up my little brother from the dentist).

When you have a fixed time or plan, you can simply use the present tense;

• Næste år tager jeg til Polen (Next year, I’m going to Poland).

Of course, Danish also offers more sophisticated verbs as future markers, such as planlægge, påtænke, overveje (plan, contemplate, consider). But you can save those until you’re ready to show off!

Danish Present Participle

As some of you may have noticed something is missing from the table above. So, for those yearning for it, let’s have a look at the present participle.

This is the form that ends in “-ing” in English. Danish is no more complex in this regard, we simply use “-ende” as the ending instead.

This leads me to digress a little bit, I hope I’ll be forgiven. The thing is, the present participle is used much less in Danish than in English.

Consider a sentence such as:

“I was reading, when there was a knock on the door”

Danes would never use a participle here. They would simply stick to past tense;

jeg læste, da…

Or, if you wish to mark an extended time frame, as the participle does in English;

Jeg sad og læste, da…, like English “I sat and read, when…”

When Danes actually do use the present participle, it's often in one of the following ways:

• Nominal (as a noun): Cyklende skal benytte cykelstien (Biking (people) must use the bicycle path)
• Adverbial: Hun spiller hamrende falsk (She plays jarring(ly) out of tune)
• Or finally with a verbal function: De kom snublende ud af værtshuset (they came stumbling out of the pub).

And let’s leave the participles at that, for, as I have hinted, we have less pleasant unfinished business!

Two Must-Know Danish Irregular Verbs

So far, we have mainly concerned ourselves with the regular, or weak, verbs. And with good reason, as they are the majority. But as mentioned, they do have a reckless cousin, namely the irregular, or strong, verbs. 

These little rebels dance to their own beat, preferring to omit suffixes and change vowels as they move through time and tenses. They're not easy to identify – you're likely not to identify them as such, before they are conjugated. 

But I need to emphasise two of them, the aforementioned two important ones. They are commonly seen, and are used to create the perfect tenses, and the most common auxiliary verbs. Like in English, they are “to be” and “to have”.

So let’s get them out into the open, where they can’t hide:

The other verb is have, a word just as volatile as the English “have”, which is also used to create past tenses.

•As mentioned, present participle doesn’t sit well in Danish. It can be heard, but sounds clumsy and artificial to the Danish ear. 

There is really no alternative to more or less learning these by heart. But then, that shouldn’t be too difficult, as you will see and hear them constantly when you’re leaning Danish. They tend to pop up in more or less every other sentence.

You might wonder about another important auxiliary verb in English, which is “to do”. However, this is used a lot less in Danish. So, in order not to test your poor patience too hard, I will leave it for now.

There really is no surefire way to detect these irregular words before they have actually been conjugated. However, when a verb in Danish has letter pairings such as “ny”,”nø”, “ry”, “rø” , “ræ” or “ly”, there's a fair chance that something is slightly off.

If you want to know more about the irregular verbs, take a look at my post on Danish irregular verbs. But, in the meantime, with the two conjugations above, you should be able to go a long way.

4 Tips For Getting To Grips With Danish Verb Conjugation

I know Danish verb conjugation can seem like a bit of a mouthful, but please don't lose faith. It will come naturally and gradually, if you only put a bit of effort into it.

So don't let the grammar villain get you down.

The following is my personal recommendations, based on experienced. Feel free to follow them or not, do as feels right for you.

1. Keep It Simple: Create Short Sentences

For long knotty sentences, designed, as they are or could be, to impress your audience, whether they be Danish or otherwise, in the situation in which you find yourself, there really is no need.

Also, you might find, that getting a grasp of the present and past tense will make you able describe most situations.

2. Immerse Yourself In Danish, Even For Short Periods Of Time

You might hear that Danish is a small language. Not really true, according to linguists.

When they calibrate the size of a language, not only the number of speakers are counted (there are barely 6 million Danes and few Danish-speaking countries outside Denmark), but also the volume and richness of existing literature.

And you can find plenty. Not only Danish books, but also Danish podcasts, Danish YouTube and Danish movies. You can’t help picking something up along the way, especially if you follow the rules of StoryLearning and read in Danish.

3. Don't Attempt To Memorise Random Conjugations

They are very unlikely to stick with you, so it's really just a waste of time and effort. I know I have mentioned two verbs to learn by heart, but let those be exceptions.

Reading a simple book, like my Short Stories in Danish one, while analysing the verbs will prove much more fruitful. And less likely to turn your brain into a grey stew, and discourage you from your endeavours.

4. Try It Out!

Chances are there aren’t too many Danes in your circle of friends as it's an exclusive little club. If you do, by all means talk to them. And insist they speak Danish, as Danes tend to switch to English when they hear non-natives.

If not, there is always the internet, filled with talkative Danes. Let your hobbies and interests be your guide.

Never be afraid of making mistakes, no-one expects perfection from you, and mistakes can be great lessons. Son don't let the fear villain put you off.

When in doubt, you can find Danish verb conjugation software free on the web. It's there to be used!

FAQs About Danish Verb Conjugation

Mastering Danish Verb Conjugation

With that, I trust you are well on your way to mastering Danish verb conjugation.

It really isn't an impossible task, but at the same time, great training for the plasticity of your brain, that you can bring to good use in many aspects of your life.

By all means, take a break if it gets too tedious, and let me, in that case, remind you of my favourite Danish joke: Du ser syg ud, er du bleg? (You look ill, are you pale?). 

Olly Richards

Creator of the StoryLearning® Method

Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.

Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.

When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.