Language/Danish/Grammar/Verbs-(Past-Tense)

Danish → Grammar → Verbs (Past Tense)

As a Danish language teacher with 20 years of experience, I am excited to teach you how to conjugate regular and irregular verbs in the past tense. In this lesson, we will go through the different verb groups, tenses, and rules for forming the past tense in Danish.

After mastering this lesson, these related pages might interest you: Subjunctive Mood & Present Tense.

Regular Verbs

Regular verbs in Danish follow a common pattern when conjugated into the past tense. The past tense of regular verbs is formed by adding the suffix "-ede" to the stem or the infinitive verb, depending on the verb ending. The table below shows examples of regular verbs in the past tense.

Danish	Pronunciation	English
have (infinitive)	hah-v	to have
havde	hah-veh-deh	had
spise (infinitive)	spee-seh	to eat
spiste	spee-steh	ate

To conjugate regular verbs in the past tense, you need to identify the stem of the verb by removing the "-e" from the infinitive form. Then, add the suffix "-ede" to the stem. Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind when conjugating regular verbs in the past tense:

• Verbs ending with "-e" only need to add "-de" to the stem.
• Verbs ending with "-d," "-t," "-s," "-x," "-z," or "-Ø" (no ending) only need to add "-ede" to the stem.
• Verbs ending with "-n" or "-m" need to double the consonant and add "-ede" to the stem.

Here are some examples:

• Present tense: Jeg danser. (I dance.)

 * Past tense: Jeg dansede. (I danced.)

• Present tense: Du venter. (You wait.)

 * Past tense: Du ventede. (You waited.)

• Present tense: Han køber. (He buys.)

 * Past tense: Han købte. (He bought.)

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs in Danish do not follow a specific pattern when conjugated into the past tense. Here are some of the most common irregular verbs in the past tense and their conjugations:

Danish	Pronunciation	English
være	væh-reh	was/were
have	hah-veh	had
ville	vee-leh	wanted/would
kunne	koo-neh	could
skulle	shoo-leh	should
måtte	maw-teh	had to

Note that irregular verbs in the past tense are often used in combination with irregular verbs in the present tense.

Here are some examples:

• Present tense: Jeg er sulten. (I am hungry.)

 * Past tense: Jeg var sulten. (I was hungry.)

• Present tense: Du vil have mere. (You want more.)

 * Past tense: Du ville have mere. (You wanted more.)

• Present tense: Han kan løbe hurtigt. (He can run fast.)

 * Past tense: Han kunne løbe hurtigt. (He could run fast.)

Compound Verbs

Compound verbs in Danish are formed by combining a verb with a preposition or an adverb. In the past tense, the auxiliary verb "have" or "be" is used along with the past participle of the main verb. Here are some examples:

• Present tense: Jeg går i seng. (I go to bed.)

 * Past tense: Jeg har gået i seng. (I went to bed.)

• Present tense: Du ser fjernsyn. (You watch television.)

 * Past tense: Du har set fjernsyn. (You watched television.)

• Present tense: Han kommer hjem. (He comes home.)

 * Past tense: Han er kommet hjem. (He came home.)

Compound verbs can be regular or irregular, so it's important to learn the past participle form of these verbs in order to form the past tense correctly.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have learned how to conjugate regular and irregular verbs in the past tense in Danish. Keep practicing and building your vocabulary to improve your proficiency in Danish grammar. In the next lesson, we will cover adverbs, their formation, and usage in Danish.

Finished this lesson? Check out these related lessons: Give your Opinion & Adverbs.

Other Lessons

• Negation
• Possessive Case in Danish
• Adverbs
• Verbs in Danish
• Passive Voice
• Definite Articles in Danish
• Future Tense
• How to use “be” with adjectives in Danish
• How to use “there to be” in Danish
• Indefinite Articles in Danish

Sources

• Danish grammar - Wikipedia
• Danish Verb Tenses with Audio - ielanguages.com
• Danish/Verbs - Wikibooks, open books for an open world