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.
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
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
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).
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?
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.
✅ 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.
🎯 Practice Exercise
Try translating these sentences into Danish:
- I read a book.
- She does not eat meat.
- Do you speak Danish?
- Today we go to the park.
Answer Key:
- Jeg læser en bog.
- Hun spiser ikke kød.
- Taler du dansk?
- I dag går vi i parken.