Language/Danish/Grammar/Subject-Verb-Object

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Danish → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Subject-Verb-Object

Introduction

Welcome to the Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) lesson! In this lesson, you will learn the basic Danish sentence structure, which follows the SVO order.

As a complete beginner, it's essential to understand how Danish sentences are structured. By grasping this fundamental concept, you can begin to construct simple sentences and gradually move on to more complex sentences.

Let's get started!

With the completion of this lesson, consider investigating these related pages: Prepositions & The Inclusive Case in Danish.

Danish Sentence Structure

Danish sentence structure follows the Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order, which means that the sentence's subject comes first, followed by the verb and the object.

Here is an example:

Danish	Pronunciation	English Translation
Jeg spiser maden.	Yeah spee-ser mad-en.	I eat the food.

In this sentence, jeg (I) is the subject, spiser (eat) is the verb, and maden (the food) is the object.

It's essential to note that Danish sentences do not use articles before the subject or object.

Here's another example:

Danish	Pronunciation	English Translation
Min far læser avisen.		Min far laces avis-en.		My father reads the newspaper.

In this sentence, min far (my father) is the subject, læser (reads) is the verb, and avisen (the newspaper) is the object. There's no need to use the article the before the subject (min far) or the object (avisen).

Subject

The subject of a Danish sentence is the person, place, thing, or idea that the sentence is about. Here are some examples:

Danish	Pronunciation	English Translation
Katten mjaver.		Kat-ten myave-er.		The cat meows.
Maria studerer journalistik.		Maria stoo-dee-rer jour-nali-stik.		Maria studies journalism.

In the first example, the subject is katten (the cat), and in the second example, the subject is Maria (Maria).

A subject can be a pronoun, which is a word that takes the place of a noun. For example:

Danish	Pronunciation	English Translation
De spiser .		De spee-ser .		They eat.

In this sentence, de (they) is the subject. No object is mentioned, which means the sentence is incomplete.

Verb

The verb is the action word in a sentence. It describes what the subject is doing or the state of being. Here are some examples:

Danish	Pronunciation	English Translation
Vi læser bogen.		Vi lacer bo-gen.		We are reading the book.
Jonas ar smuk.		Yo-nas are smoo-ck.		Jonas is handsome.

In the first example, the verb is læser (reading). In the second example, the verb is er (is).

Object

The object of a Danish sentence is the person, place, thing, or idea that receives the action of the verb. Here are a couple of examples:

Danish	Pronunciation	English Translation
Jeg køber en bog.		Yeah kø-ber en bo.		I am buying a book.
Vi ser filmene.		Vi seer film-ene.		We are watching the films.

In the first example, the object is en bog (a book). In the second example, the object is filmene (the films).

Word Order

The subject-verb-object word order is the default structure for simple Danish sentences. However, it can be changed for emphasis or to form questions or commands.

Let's take an example where word order is changed:

Danish	Pronunciation	English Translation
Bogen køber jeg.		Bo-gen kø-ber yeah.		The book, I am buying.

In this example, the word order is subject-object-verb, and the subject (jeg) is emphasized.

Negative Sentences

To make a negative sentence, you can add the word ikke, which means not, after the verb. Here are some examples:

Danish	Pronunciation	English Translation
Jeg spiser ikke maden.		Yeah spee-ser ik-ke mad-en.		I am not eating the food.
De læser ikke bogen.		De lae-ser ik-ke bo-gen.		They are not reading the book.

Questions

To form a question in Danish, the subject and verb positions are swapped. Here are some examples:

Danish	Pronunciation	English Translation
Spiser du maden?		Spee-ser doo mad-en?		Are you eating the food?
Læser de bogen?		La-ser dee bo-gen?		Are they reading the book?	Table of Contents - Danish Course - 0 to A1 Course Presentation Introduction to Danish Alphabet and Pronunciation Danish Alphabet Pronunciation Basics Everyday Phrases and Greetings Greetings and Introductions Common Phrases Basic Sentence Structure and Word Order Subject-Verb-Object Questions and Negations Numbers, Dates, and Time Numbers 1-100 Days, Months, and Seasons Telling Time Nouns and Articles Definite and Indefinite Articles Plurals and Possessives Family, Relationships, and Occupations Family Members Relationships Occupations Adjectives and Adverbs Adjective Forms and Agreement Comparatives and Superlatives Adverbs Food, Drinks, and Dining Food and Drinks Dining Out Verbs and Tenses Regular Verbs Irregular Verbs Modal Verbs Travel and Transportation Modes of Transportation Travel Vocabulary Danish Culture and Traditions Holidays and Celebrations Danish Customs and Etiquette Other Lessons Interrogative words in Danish Nouns Danish Alphabet Present Tense Subjunctive Mood Adverbs Verbs (Perfect Tense) How to Use Be Questions Comparatives and Superlatives Sources Danish grammar - Wikipedia Danish Word Order - ielanguages.com ◀️ Common Phrases — Previous Lesson Next Lesson — Questions and Negations ▶️