Danish Verbs & Tenses
Danish verbs don't change by person. Learn the present, past, perfect and future, the modal verbs, the imperative and the passive.
The tenses line up closely with English. What takes practice is the past tense of everyday verbs, and knowing when the perfect tense uses er instead of har.
One verb, every tense
Pick a form to see spise (eat) in a sentence.
- Jeg spiser nu.I’m eating now.
Usually infinitive + -r (a few common verbs are short: er, har, ved). With a time word it also covers the future: Jeg spiser i morgen. Present tense lesson
- Vi spiste fisk i lørdags.We ate fish last Saturday.
Regular verbs add -ede or -te. Irregular ones change form. Past tense lesson
- Jeg har allerede spist.I’ve already eaten.
har + past participle. Verbs of movement and change often take er: Hun er gået. Perfect tense lesson
- Jeg kan ikke spise mere.I can’t eat any more.
kan, skal, vil, må + infinitive, with no “at”. Modal verbs lesson
- Spis din mad!Eat your food!
Usually the infinitive without its final -e. Imperative lesson
- Maden spises kold.The food is eaten cold.
Add -s, or use blive + participle: Maden bliver spist. Passive lesson
One form for everyone
English needs eat and eats. Danish uses spiser for every person, and spiste for every person in the past. Learn one present form and one past form per verb.
| Danish | English |
|---|---|
| jeg spiser | I eat |
| du spiser | you eat |
| han spiser | he eats |
| hun spiser | she eats |
| vi spiser | we eat |
| I spiser | you (all) eat |
| de spiser | they eat |
Which tense when?
| You want to say | Use | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| What happens now, or usually | Present | Jeg arbejder i Odense. | I work in Odense. |
| The everyday future, with a time word | Present | Jeg tager til Aarhus på fredag. | I’m going to Aarhus on Friday. |
| Something finished, at a time | Past | I går ringede jeg til min mor. | Yesterday I called my mum. |
| A prediction | kommer til at | Det kommer til at koste mange penge. | It’s going to cost a lot of money. |
| An experience or a result now | Perfect | Jeg har aldrig været i Skagen. | I have never been to Skagen. |
| Ability, duty, wish, permission | Modal | Må jeg låne din cykel? | May I borrow your bike? |
| A command or instruction | Imperative | Luk døren! | Close the door! |
| What happens, not who does it | Passive | Cykler repareres her. | Bikes repaired here. |
All verb lessons
In the order we’d learn them
- 01Present TenseDanish present tense has one form for every subject: jeg spiser, du spiser, de spiser.jeg spiser · du spiser · vi spiser
- 02Past TenseQuick checkRegular past forms with -ede and -te, and common irregulars like gik, så and fik.spiste · arbejdede · gik
- 03Modal Verbs (kan, skal, vil, må)ExercisesExpress ability, obligation, desire and permission with kan, skal, vil and må, and learn their past forms.Jeg kan tale dansk · Må jeg sidde her?
- 04Future Tense (skal, vil, kommer til at)Quick checkDanish has no future tense of its own. How to talk about what will happen with skal, vil, kommer til at, or the present tense and a time word.Jeg kommer i morgen · Det kommer til at regne
- 05Perfect Tense (har / er + participle)Quick checkJeg har spist, hun er gået. How to form the past participle, and when Danish uses er instead of har.Jeg har spist · hun er gået
- 06Irregular VerbsQuick checkThe most common irregular verbs with their present, past and participle: være, have, gå, se, få and more.være · var · har været
- 07Imperative (Commands)Quick checkKom ind! Spis! How to give commands and instructions, say "don't", and sound polite while you do it.Kom ind! · Lad være!
- 08Passive (-s and blive)Quick checkHuset sælges, huset bliver solgt. The two Danish passives, how to form them, and which one to use when.Huset sælges · huset bliver solgt
Verb cheat sheet
| Infinitive | Meaning | Present | Past | Perfect | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| spise | eat | spiser | spiste | har spist | regular, -te |
| arbejde | work | arbejder | arbejdede | har arbejdet | regular, -ede |
| købe | buy | køber | købte | har købt | regular, -te |
| være | be | er | var | har været | irregular |
| have | have | har | havde | har haft | irregular |
| gå | go, walk | går | gik | er / har gået | irregular |
| se | see | ser | så | har set | irregular |
Which tense trips you up?
Question 1 of 6
Practise the rules you just read
Practise what you’ve read in exercises, alongside vocabulary and reading.
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