Language/Danish/Grammar/Subjunctive-Mood
As a Danish language teacher with 20 years of experience, I am excited to take you through the advanced grammar lessons of this course. In this lesson, we will explore the subjunctive mood in Danish.
The subjunctive mood is used to express hypothetical or contrary-to-fact situations. It is commonly used in sentences starting with "if", "whether", or "that". To form the subjunctive mood, we use the present tense stem of the verb plus the endings "-e", "-er", "-en", "-ene".
For example, the sentence "Jeg ønsker, at han ville komme." (I wish he would come.) contains the subjunctive mood verb "ville komme" (would come).
Formation of the Subjunctive Mood
To better understand how to form verbs in the subjunctive mood, let's look at few examples:
| Danish | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Jeg ønsker, at han ville komme. | "Jyeh OHN-skuhr, aht hahn VIL-leh KOH-meh" | I wish he would come. |
| Hvis jeg var dig, ville jeg tage det roligt. | "Hvees jyeh vahr dyeh, VIL-leh jyeh TAH-guh deh ROH-lee" | If I were you, I would take it easy. |
| Det er vigtigt, at han kommer til tiden. | "Deht er VIH-tekt, aht hahn KOH-mehr teel teen" | It's important that he comes on time. |
As you can see from the examples, to form the subjunctive mood, we add the endings "-e", "-er", "-en", "-ene" to the present tense verb stem.
However, there are some irregular verbs that have different stems for the subjunctive mood. For instance, "være" (to be) has the stem "vær-", which is different from its present tense stem "er-".
Usage of the Subjunctive Mood
The subjunctive mood is primarily used in subordinate clauses, usually introduced by "at" (that) or "hvis" (if). It can also be used in main clauses for expressing a wish, advice, or a hypothetical situation.
Here are some examples:
- Jeg ønsker, at du bliver her. (I wish you would stay.)
- Hvis det regnede, ville vi blive hjemme. (If it rained, we would stay home.)
- Lad mig vide, hvad du ville gøre. (Let me know what you would do.)
- Hvis jeg var dig, ville jeg tage det roligt. (If I were you, I would take it easy.)
Summary
In conclusion, mastering the subjunctive mood is crucial to advancing your Danish language skills. Remember to use the present tense verb stem with the endings "-e", "-er", "-en", "-ene" to form the subjunctive mood.
Don't forget to practice using the subjunctive mood in sentences with hypothetical or contrary-to-fact situations. With time and practice, you'll be able to use the subjunctive mood with ease!
Related Lessons
- Present Continuous in Danish
- Indefinite Articles in Danish
- Prepositions
- How to use “to be” with names and places
- The Accusative Case in Danish
- How to Use Be
- Interrogative words in Danish
- Cardinal Numbers in Danish
- How to use “there to be” in Danish
- How to use “to speak” in Danish
Sources