Danish grammar

Introduction to Danish Grammar

This page gives you the key building blocks of Danish grammar. You will see how nouns, articles, possessives, adjectives, verbs, questions, and negation work, with contrasts to English where it matters.

A note before you dive in: treat this grammar section as a reference resource. We made an effort not to write a textbook, but these pages are packed with information, so don't feel you need to absorb everything at once. Dip in and out as needed, and focus on what's most relevant to your current learning.

A quick refresher
noun	a thing (car, book, cat)
verb	an action (speak, walk, write)
adjective	a descriptive word (beautiful, big, red)
pronoun	stands in for a noun (I, you, he, it, they, my, mine)
Nouns and gender
Danish has two genders, marked by the articles en (common) and et (neuter). Learn the article with each noun.
en bil	a car
et hus	a house
In this course, all et-words are highlighted to help you remember them.
Definite form
Danish forms the definite by adding a suffix. Think of the suffix as a definite marker, not a separate word for "the".
bilen	the car
huset	the house
English uses a separate word (the car), while Danish attaches it (bilen).
Possessive pronouns
The possessive pronoun agrees with the noun (the thing owned), not with the owner.
min bil	my car
mit hus	my house
mine biler / mine huse	my cars / my houses
English keeps the same word (my car / my house / my cars). Danish changes (min / mit / mine).
Adjectives
Adjectives change form according to gender, number, and definiteness.
en stor bil	a big car
et stort hus	a big house
store biler	big cars
store huse	big houses
det store hus	the big house
Forms: base (stor), neuter with -t (stort), plural/definite with -e (store).
English adjectives do not change. Danish adjectives must match the noun.
Verbs
Danish verbs use the same form for all subjects.
jeg taler	I speak
du taler	you speak
han/hun taler	he/she speaks
vi taler	we speak
jeg var	I was
vi var	we were
Questions
Danish does not use "do" in questions. The verb comes before the subject.
Taler du dansk?	Do you speak Danish?
Har du børn?	Do you have children?
Ryger du?	Do you smoke?
Word order (V2) – brief teaser
In main clauses, the finite verb is the second element (a finite verb is the form of the verb that shows tense (past, present, future) and agrees with the subject). If something else comes first, the verb still stays second. You will see this rule (V2) in detail on a later page.
Jeg spiser nu.	I eat now.
Nu spiser jeg.	Now I eat.
Continuous meaning
Danish uses the simple present where English often uses the present continuous.
Hun synger.	She is singing.
Jeg spiser.	I am eating.
Går du?	Are you walking/leaving?
Avoid forms like jeg er spisende. Say jeg spiser.
Negation
Negation is made with ikke (not), placed after the finite verb in main clauses.
Jeg taler ikke dansk.	I don't speak Danish.
Han ryger ikke.	He does not smoke.
Common pitfalls
✘ Possessive agrees with the owner	✓ Possessive agrees with the noun (mit hus)
✘ Add a separate "the"	✓ Use suffix: bil → bilen, hus → huset
✘ English-style "do" questions	✓ Verb + subject: Taler du dansk?
✘ Same adjective everywhere	✓ Match the noun: stor / stort / store
✘ Progressive form in Danish (jeg er spisende)	✓ Simple present: jeg spiser
Quick tips
• Learn en/et with each noun • Definite is a suffix • Possessives and adjectives agree with the noun • One verb form for all subjects • No "do" in questions • Simple present often = English continuous • Main clauses follow V2 (verb is second)

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