Language/Danish/Grammar/Negation

Danish Grammar - Negation

Hi Danish learners! 😊

In this lesson, we will cover the topic of negation in Danish grammar. Being able to express negation is essential to communicate effectively in any language. It allows us to express the negative form of a sentence or a word, which helps us to convey a meaning contrary to the positive statement.

Take some time to dive into these other pages after completing this lesson: Danish Grammar → Introduction to Danish Alphabet and ..., Conditional Mood, The Ablative Case in Danish & Pronunciation Basics.

Negation in Danish

Danish has two types of negation: "ikke" and "ingen/ingenting". Each type corresponds to different grammatical structures or situations.

Negative Adverb "Ikke"

"Ikke" is the most common negative adverb in Danish. It negates the verb or adjective that comes after it.

For instance:

Danish	Pronunciation	English
Han spiser ikke.	Haan spee-ser ihk-kuh.	He does not eat.
Jeg har ikke tid.	Yai har ihk-kuh tiid.	I do not have time.
Hun er ikke glad.	Hun air ihk-kuh glaeth.	She is not happy.

In the examples above, "ikke" is placed after the verb ( "spiser", "har", "er") or the adjective ("glad").

Bear in mind that "ikke" cannot negate a whole sentence. The negation applies only to the verb or the adjective which follows it.

In some cases, "ikke" can also be placed before an adverb to make it negative.

For example:

Danish	Pronunciation	English
Jeg spiser normalt ikke kød.	Yai spei-ser nohr-mahl ihk-kuh kuhd.	I usually do not eat meat.

Here, "ikke" is placed before "normalt" to negate it.

"Ikke" vs "Aldrig"

"Aldrig" means "never" and can be used to create a stronger form of negation than "ikke". It is used for more permanent or unchangeable situations.

For instance:

Danish	Pronunciation	English
Jeg spiser aldrig kød.	Yai speiser ahl-dri kud.	I never eat meat.
Jeg vil aldrig tage tilbage.	Yai vil ahl-dri tah-ge til-ba-ge.	I will never go back.

"Aldrig" negates the verb more strongly than "ikke". We use "aldrig" when talking about things that cannot change or ways of behavior we do not typically engage in.

Negative Pronouns "Ingen/Ingenting"

"Ingen" means "nobody/nothing" or "no one/nothing" in English. It is used for negation of subjects/nouns where "ikke" cannot be used.

For instance:

Danish	Pronunciation	English
Jeg kender ingen her.	Yai ken-der in-gen hair.	I know nobody here. (or "I do not know anyone here".)
Der er ingen penge tilbage.	Dair air in-gen pen-geh til-ba-ge.	There is no money left.
Der er ingenting i køleskabet.	Dair air ing-ten-ting ih koo-le-skah-bet.	There is nothing in the fridge.

"Ingen" negates the whole sentence in which it is used. It is also used for negation of uncountable nouns or for negation of things that do not have a clear identity.

"Både - og" and "enten/eller" sentences: Also, when negating "både-og" (English "both-and") and "enten/eller" (English "either-or") sentences, "ingen" should be used instead of "ikke".

For instance:

Danish	Pronunciation	English
Hun har ikke enten hund eller kat.	Hun har ihk-kuh en-ten hoon eller kat.	She does not have either dog or cat.
Hun har ingen hund eller kat.	Hun har in-gen hoon eller kat.	She has neither a dog nor a cat.

Placement of Negation Words

When creating negative sentences in Danish, the negation word should be placed before the verb, unless there is a direct object. In these cases, it should be placed after the direct object.

For example:

• Subject + Negation word + Verb: "Jeg spiser ikke."
• Subject + Direct Object + Negation word + Verb: "Jeg spiser maden ikke."

Dialogue

Let's see a dialogue to exemplify how negation works in context:

• Person 1: Tror du, at der kommer nogen til festen i aften? (Do you think anyone is coming to the party tonight?)
• Person 2: Nej, jeg tror ikke, at der kommer nogen. (No, I do not think anyone is coming.)

Exercises

Now, let's try some exercises.

• Translate the following sentence into Danish:

"John does not like to eat fish."

• Translate the following sentence into Danish:

"I have nothing to do tomorrow."

Tips and Tricks

To improve your Danish Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• Danish Negation
• Danish Lesson 7 - Negation and Human Body

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➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Other Lessons

• Indefinite Articles in Danish
• How to Use Have
• The Accusative Case in Danish
• The Ablative Case in Danish
• Possessive Case in Danish
• The Nominative Case in Danish
• Prepositions
• Cardinal Numbers in Danish
• The Inclusive Case in Danish
• Adjectives