Danish Sentences
How Danish sentences are put together: the V2 rule, questions, and the different order after fordi, at, hvis and når.
Danish words mostly sit where English puts them. The difference is a few fixed places: the verb always comes second in a statement, and a small word like ikke (not) moves depending on the kind of clause. Learn those places and most everyday sentences fall into line.
Same words, new order
Pick how the sentence starts
The subject takes position 1 and the verb comes second, like English. The V2 rule
i morgen moves to position 1. The verb stays second, so jeg moves behind it. When something else comes first
A yes/no question leaves position 1 empty, so it starts with the verb. Questions
derfor (that’s why) takes position 1, so the verb still comes second. When something else comes first
After fordi there is no V2: ikke moves in front of the verb. ikke before the verb
Try itTest yourself on word order
Two kinds of clause, two places for ikke
In a main clause, ikke comes after the verb. In a subordinate clause, one that starts with a word like fordi (because) or hvis (if), it comes before the verb. Words like altid (always), aldrig (never) and også (also) follow the same rule.
- Main clause: ikke comes after the verbDet virker ikke
- Subordinate clause: ikke comes before the verb… fordi det ikke virker
Which word order when?
| Your sentence | Order | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| A plain statement | subject + verb | Jonas cykler til arbejde. | Jonas cycles to work. |
| Starting with a time, a place or another word | verb before subject | I weekenden sover jeg længe. | At the weekend I sleep in. |
| A yes/no question | verb first | Taler du dansk? | Do you speak Danish? |
| A question with hvor, hvad, hvornår … | question word + verb | Hvad hedder du? | What’s your name? |
| After fordi, at, hvis, når … | subject + ikke + verb | Jeg håber, at det ikke regner. | I hope it doesn’t rain. |
| Starting with a fordi-, hvis- or når-clause | clause, then verb | Når vi har spist, går vi en tur. | When we’ve eaten, we’ll go for a walk. |
All sentence lessons
In the order we’d learn them
- 01Danish Word OrderExercisesThe V2 rule: the verb comes second in every Danish statement, even when it starts with something other than the subject.I dag arbejder jeg. · Kommer du med?
- 02Subordinate ClausesExercisesClauses that start with fordi, at, hvis or når. Inside them, ikke goes before the verb.… fordi jeg ikke har tid.
Asking questions: How to ask questions in Danish
Word order cheat sheet
| Sentence type | Order | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Statement | subject · verb · ikke · rest | Jeg ser ikke tv. |
| Starts with another word | position 1 · verb · subject · ikke · rest | I aften ser jeg ikke tv. |
| Yes/no question | verb · subject · rest | Ser du tv? |
| Question word | question word · verb · subject · rest | Hvad ser du? |
| Subordinate clause | fordi · subject · ikke · verb · rest | … fordi jeg ikke ser tv. |
| Starts with a clause | clause, verb · subject · rest | Når jeg er træt, ser jeg tv. |
| og, men, eller, for | og · subject · verb · ikke · rest | Jeg ser tv, og min kæreste læser. |
ikke stands for short adverbs like altid, aldrig, også, tit, gerne and stadig too. One exception: with only one verb, a short pronoun object goes before ikke: Jeg ser det ikke.
Which word order trips you up?
Question 1 of 6
Practise the rules you just read
Practise what you’ve read in exercises, alongside vocabulary and reading.
Preparing for a Danish exam? Find your level with the level test