Danish Passive (-s and blive)
The passive puts the focus on what happens rather than on who does it: Huset bliver solgt (The house is being sold). Danish has two ways to make it: the -s passive and blive + participle. Both are common: the -s passive mostly in rules, instructions and after modal verbs, and blive for single events.
The -s passive
Add -s to the infinitive, not to the present-tense -r form: sælge → sælges (not sælgers). It's most common after modal verbs, and in written instructions, rules and signs.
| Danish | English |
|---|---|
| Huset sælges. | The house is for sale. / The house is being sold. |
| Billetter købes i automaten. | Tickets are bought at the machine. |
| Døren skal lukkes. | The door must be closed. |
| Det kan ikke gøres. | It can't be done. |
| Retten serveres med kartofler. | The dish is served with potatoes. |
Short verbs work the same way: se → ses, få → fås.
| Infinitive | -s passive | English |
|---|---|---|
| sælge | sælges | is sold |
| lukke | lukkes | is closed |
| gøre | gøres | is done |
| tage | tages | is taken |
| se | ses | is seen |
| få | fås | is available, can be had |
You’ll see it in ads, on packaging and in official letters:
| Danish | English | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Lejligheden udlejes umøbleret. | The flat is let unfurnished. | a rental ad |
| Denne pille skal tages to gange dagligt. | This pill must be taken twice a day. | medicine |
| Opbevares køligt. | Store in a cool place. | packaging |
| Huslejen betales forud. | The rent is paid in advance. | a letter from the landlord |
blive + participle
Use a form of blive with the past participle. This is the usual passive in speech, and the one to use for a single event, especially in the past.
| Danish | English |
|---|---|
| Huset bliver solgt i morgen. | The house is being sold tomorrow. |
| Huset blev solgt sidste år. | The house was sold last year. |
| Huset er blevet solgt. | The house has been sold. |
| Han blev stoppet af politiet. | He was stopped by the police. |
To say who did it, add af: Bogen blev skrevet af Karen Blixen. (The book was written by Karen Blixen.)
| Danish | English | Participle |
|---|---|---|
| Mødet blev aflyst i sidste øjeblik. | The meeting was cancelled at the last minute. | aflyse → aflyst |
| Dagsordenen blev sendt ud i går. | The agenda was sent out yesterday. | sende → sendt |
| Forslaget blev godkendt af gruppen. | The proposal was approved by the group. | godkende → godkendt |
| Tæppet er blevet renset. | The rug has been cleaned. | rense → renset |
In the perfect tense, blive takes er, not har: er blevet solgt. Perfect tense
The two passives, tense by tense
The -s passive lives mainly in the present tense and after modal verbs. For the past and the perfect, use blive.
| Tense | -s passive | blive + participle |
|---|---|---|
| Present | Døren lukkes. | Døren bliver lukket. |
| Past | Døren lukkedes. (mostly written) | Døren blev lukket. |
| Perfect | not used | Døren er blevet lukket. |
| After a modal verb | Døren skal lukkes. | usually -s |
Which one to use
| Situation | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Rules, instructions, signs | -s | Varer byttes kun mod kvittering. |
| After a modal verb | -s | Pakken kan hentes i morgen. |
| One event in the past | blev | Mødet blev aflyst i sidste øjeblik. |
| Done, and the result matters now | er blevet | Huset er blevet solgt. |
| One event that is happening or will happen | bliver | Huset bliver solgt i morgen. |
Passive or man?
When nobody in particular does the action, Danes often skip the passive and use man (one, you, people) instead. Both sentences below say the same thing.
- passiveMaden bestilles ved baren.Food is ordered at the bar.
- manMan bestiller maden ved baren.You order food at the bar.
-s verbs that aren’t passive
A few common verbs always end in -s but are not passive: synes (think, find), findes (exist), lykkes (succeed). Mødes and ses mean “meet each other” and “see each other”.
| Danish | English |
|---|---|
| Vi ses i morgen! | See you tomorrow! |
| Vi mødtes foran rådhuset. | We met in front of the town hall. |
| Jeg synes, det er godt. | I think it's good. |
Common mistakes
Wrong:
Huset blev sælges.Right:Huset blev solgt.
Blive takes the past participle, not the -s form.
Wrong:
Huset sælger.Right:Huset sælges.
Without the -s, the house would be doing the selling. The -s goes on the infinitive: sælge → sælges.
Wrong:
Bogen blev skrevet fra Karen Blixen.Right:Bogen blev skrevet af Karen Blixen.
Who did it is introduced with af.
Check yourself
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