Core Sentence Mechanics

Before you can speak Danish fluently, you need to understand how sentences are built. In this lesson, we focus on core sentence mechanics: pronouns, present tense verbs, sentence structure, questions, and negation.

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1️⃣ Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns are words that replace the subject or object in a sentence.

English	Subject	Object
I	jeg	mig
You	du	dig
He	han	ham
She	hun	hende
It	den / det	den / det
We	vi	os
You all	I	jer
They	de	dem

Tip for English speakers:
Danish pronouns are simple, the verb does not change depending on the subject.

Example:
Jeg går = I go / I am going
Du går = You go / You are going
Han går = He goes / He is going

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2️⃣ Present Tense (Nutid)

In Danish, most verbs in present tense simply add -r. There’s no complicated conjugation for each pronoun.

Example:
at spise (to eat) → jeg spiser, du spiser, han spiser

Some verbs are irregular: at være (to be) and at have (to have).

Example:
Jeg er dansk. = I am Danish
Hun har en bog. = She has a book

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3️⃣ Basic Sentence Structure (SVO)

Danish follows Subject–Verb–Object (SVO) in simple sentences:

Jeg læser en bog.
I read a book.

But Danish also has a V2 rule, which means the verb always comes second in main clauses:

I dag læser jeg en bog.
Today I read a book.

Notice how the verb læser stays in the second position, even when the sentence starts with “I dag” (today).

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4️⃣ Yes/No Questions & Inversion

To make yes/no questions, Danish often inverts the subject and verb:

Du taler dansk. → You speak Danish.
Taler du dansk? → Do you speak Danish?

Wh-questions (hvad, hvem, hvor, hvordan) also use inversion:

Hvor bor du? → Where do you live?

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5️⃣ Negation (ikke)

To make a sentence negative, use ikke (not). It usually goes after the verb or object:

Jeg spiser ikke fisk. → I do not eat fish.
Han taler ikke engelsk. → He does not speak English.

Tip: Placement matters — putting ikke in the wrong place can make the sentence sound odd.

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✅ Quick Recap

• Personal pronouns are simple; verbs don’t change with the subject.
• Present tense mostly adds -r, with a few irregulars.
• Basic sentence structure: Subject + Verb + Object, obeying the V2 rule.
• Yes/no questions use inversion.
• Negation uses ikke, placed after the verb or object.

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🎯 Practice Exercise

Try translating these sentences into Danish:

1. I read a book.
2. She does not eat meat.
3. Do you speak Danish?
4. Today we go to the park.

Answer Key:

1. Jeg læser en bog.
2. Hun spiser ikke kød.
3. Taler du dansk?
4. I dag går vi i parken.