Danish Irregular Verbs
Most Danish verbs follow one of the two regular past-tense patterns (-ede and -te). The irregular ones don't, and they happen to be the verbs you use most: være, have, gå, se, få. Each one has four forms to learn: infinitive, present, past and participle.
A few also have a short present tense without the usual -er: er, har, gør, ved.
The most common irregular verbs
| Infinitive | Present | Past | Participle | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| være | er | var | været | be |
| have | har | havde | haft | have |
| blive | bliver | blev | blevet | become / stay |
| gå | går | gik | gået | go / walk |
| komme | kommer | kom | kommet | come |
| se | ser | så | set | see |
| sige | siger | sagde | sagt | say |
| gøre | gør | gjorde | gjort | do |
| få | får | fik | fået | get |
| tage | tager | tog | taget | take |
| give | giver | gav | givet | give |
| vide | ved | vidste | vidst | know |
| spørge | spørger | spurgte | spurgt | ask |
| sælge | sælger | solgte | solgt | sell |
| fortælle | fortæller | fortalte | fortalt | tell |
| lægge | lægger | lagde | lagt | put / lay |
Verbs that change their vowel
A large group of irregular verbs changes the vowel in the past tense and often again in the participle, like English sing – sang – sung.
| Infinitive | Present | Past | Participle | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| drikke | drikker | drak | drukket | drink |
| finde | finder | fandt | fundet | find |
| synge | synger | sang | sunget | sing |
| hjælpe | hjælper | hjalp | hjulpet | help |
| skrive | skriver | skrev | skrevet | write |
| flyve | flyver | fløj | fløjet | fly |
| sidde | sidder | sad | siddet | sit |
| ligge | ligger | lå | ligget | lie (be lying) |
| stå | står | stod | stået | stand |
| sove | sover | sov | sovet | sleep |
| løbe | løber | løb | løbet | run |
The modal verbs
The modal verbs are irregular too, and their present tense doesn't end in -r:
| Infinitive | Present | Past | Participle | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| kunne | kan | kunne | kunnet | can |
| skulle | skal | skulle | skullet | shall / must |
| ville | vil | ville | villet | will / want |
| måtte | må | måtte | måttet | may / must |
Regular or irregular?
A regular verb keeps its stem and adds an ending: -ede or -te in the past, -et or -t in the participle. An irregular verb changes its vowel or its whole form. Some do both, like spørge: it takes -te and -t, but the vowel changes too. The regular patterns
| Infinitive | Past | Participle | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| arbejde | arbejdede | arbejdet | regular: -ede, -et |
| købe | købte | købt | regular: -te, -t |
| lave | lavede | lavet | regular: -ede, -et |
| spørge | spurgte | spurgt | irregular: -te, -t + new vowel |
| gå | gik | gået | irregular: new form |
| drikke | drak | drukket | irregular: new vowels |
In a sentence
Use the past form to say what happened at a certain time, and har or er + the participle for the perfect.
| Danish | English | Form |
|---|---|---|
| Jeg skrev til Mette i går. | I wrote to Mette yesterday. | past of skrive |
| Jeg har skrevet til Mette. | I have written to Mette. | perfect: har skrevet |
| Jeg tog bussen i morges. | I took the bus this morning. | past of tage |
| Har du taget din medicin? | Have you taken your medicine? | perfect: har taget |
| Hun fandt en løsning. | She found a solution. | past of finde |
| Jeg har fået et brev fra min ven. | I have got a letter from my friend. | perfect: har fået |
| Hun sagde godmorgen til alle. | She said good morning to everyone. | past of sige |
| Undskyld, jeg kom for sent. | Sorry, I was late. | past of komme |
Common mistakes
Wrong:
Jeg gåede hjem.Right:Jeg gik hjem.
Gå is irregular: the past tense is gik.
Wrong:
Hun sagt ja.Right:Hun sagde ja.
Sagt is the participle (har sagt). The past tense is sagde.
Wrong:
Jeg vider det ikke.Right:Jeg ved det ikke.
Vide has an irregular present tense: ved.
Wrong:
Vi har drakket kaffe.Right:Vi har drukket kaffe.
The participle often has its own vowel: drikke – drak – drukket.
Check yourself
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