Language/Danish/Grammar/Verbs-(Present-Tense)
In this lesson, you will learn how to conjugate regular verbs in the present tense. Verbs are essential to speak and write in Danish because they express actions, states, and events. As a Danish language teacher for over 20 years, I've helped my students understand the intricacies of Danish grammar, and I can assure you that learning the present tense is a crucial step towards fluency.
Regular Verbs
Danish regular verbs in the present tense have different endings depending on the subject pronoun. To form the present tense, remove the -r from the verb infinitive and add the appropriate ending.
| Danish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| lese(r) | ['leːsɐ] | read (I) |
| lese(r) | ['leːsɐ] | read (you) |
| lese(r) | ['leːsɐ] | read (he/she/it) |
| lese(r) | ['leːsɐ] | read (we) |
| lese(r) | ['leːsɐ] | read (you) |
| lese(r) | ['leːsɐ] | read (they) |
Here are the verb endings:
- For the first person singular (I) : -er
- For the second person singular (you) : -er
- For the third person singular (he/she/it) : -er
- For the first person plural (we) : -er
- For the second person plural (you) : -er
- For the third person plural (they) : -er
Examples:
- Jeg læser en bog. (I'm reading a book.)
- Du læser avisen. (You're reading the newspaper.)
- Han læser en historie. (He's reading a story.)
- Vi læser en menu. (We're reading a menu.)
- I læser en email. (You're reading an email.)
- De læser en avis. (They're reading a newspaper.)
Pay attention to the spelling of the verb stem when adding the -er ending. Some verbs have stem changes or irregularities that you will learn in later lessons.
Negation
To make a negative sentence, add ikke after the verb, right before the ending. Unlike English, the word ikke cannot stand alone, and it should always be next to the verb.
Examples:
- Jeg læser ikke en bog. (I'm not reading a book.)
- Du læser ikke avisen. (You're not reading the newspaper.)
- Han læser ikke en historie. (He's not reading a story.)
- Vi læser ikke en menu. (We're not reading a menu.)
- I læser ikke en email. (You're not reading an email.)
- De læser ikke en avis. (They're not reading a newspaper.)
Interrogation
To make a question, invert the subject pronoun and the auxiliary verb gør (do).
| Danish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Læser jeg? | ['leːsɐ jeː] | Am I reading? |
| Læser du? | ['leːsɐ duː] | Are you reading? |
| Læser han/hun/den/det? | ['leːsɐ han/hun/dɛn/dɛt] | Is he/she/it reading? |
| Læser vi? | ['leːsɐ viː] | Are we reading? |
| Læser I? | ['leːsɐ iː] | Are you reading? |
| Læser de? | ['leːsɐ deː] | Are they reading? |
Examples:
- Læser du en bog? (Are you reading a book?)
- Læser han avisen? (Is he reading the newspaper?)
- Læser I en email? (Are you reading an email?)
Summary
The present tense is an essential aspect of Danish grammar that helps express actions, states, and events in the present time. Regular verbs follow a simple pattern of adding endings to the verb stem, depending on the subject pronoun. Negation and interrogation are simply achieved by adding ikke or inverting the subject and auxiliary verb, respectively. Remember to practice this tense with different verbs and pronouns to get comfortable with using it.
I hope you enjoyed this lesson and learned something new about Danish grammar. Stay tuned for the next lessons in the course, where we will cover pronouns, adjectives, word order, and more!