Danish Perfect Tense (har / er + participle)
The perfect tense describes something that has happened, with a link to now: Jeg har spist (I have eaten). It's built just like in English, from a helping verb and a past participle. The one difference is that Danish has two helping verbs: har and er.
The helping verb is the same for every person: jeg, du, hun and vi all har spist.
The pattern
- har + participle — most verbsJeg har spist. — I have eaten. Hun har læst bogen. — She has read the book.
- er + participle — arriving or leaving, or a change of stateHan er gået hjem. — He has gone home. Vi er blevet trætte. — We have become tired.
Forming the participle
The participle follows the same groups as the past tense:
| Infinitive | Past | Participle | Pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| arbejde | arbejdede | arbejdet | -ede verbs → -et |
| lave | lavede | lavet | -ede verbs → -et |
| spise | spiste | spist | -te verbs → -t |
| købe | købte | købt | -te verbs → -t |
| høre | hørte | hørt | -te verbs → -t |
| læse | læste | læst | -te verbs → -t |
| gå | gik | gået | irregular |
| se | så | set | irregular |
| blive | blev | blevet | irregular |
| sove | sov | sovet | irregular |
For the rest of the irregular participles, see Danish irregular verbs.
har or er?
Use er with verbs of movement when the point is that someone has arrived or left, and with verbs that describe a change: rejse, flytte, komme, gå, blive, falde.
| Danish | English |
|---|---|
| Hun er rejst til Spanien. | She has gone to Spain. |
| Vi er flyttet til Aarhus. | We have moved to Aarhus. |
| Bussen er kommet. | The bus has come. |
| Han er faldet i søvn. | He has fallen asleep. |
| Jeg har gået en lang tur. | I have been on a long walk. |
The last example uses har: the point is the walk itself, not arriving anywhere. Jeg er gået says you have left; jeg har gået says what you did.
Everything else takes har, including være itself: har været. More examples:
| Danish | English | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Toget er netop ankommet til perronen. | The train has just arrived at the platform. | er: someone or something has arrived |
| Priserne er faldet. | Prices have fallen. | er: a change |
| Mit forhold til min nabo er blevet bedre. | My relationship with my neighbour has got better. | er: blive is a change |
| Jeg har ringet til lægen. | I have called the doctor. | har: no movement, no change |
| Jeg har glemt mine nøgler. | I have forgotten my keys. | har: most verbs |
| De har været gift i ti år. | They have been married for ten years. | har: være takes har |
Past or perfect?
Use the past tense when you say or imply when something happened. Use the perfect when the time isn’t the point: for experiences, for something that has just happened or matters now, and for something that is still true.
| Danish | English | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Jeg sov godt i nat. | I slept well last night. | past: i nat says when |
| Jeg har sovet godt. | I have slept well. | perfect: no time, the result now |
| Jeg så en film i går. | I saw a film yesterday. | past: i går says when |
| Har du set filmen? | Have you seen the film? | perfect: when doesn’t matter |
| Jeg har aldrig set ham før. | I have never seen him before. | perfect: an experience |
| Er pakken ankommet endnu? | Has the parcel arrived yet? | perfect: endnu, and er for arrival |
| Hun arbejdede i en bank i ti år. | She worked in a bank for ten years. | past: a finished period |
| Hvor længe har du boet her? | How long have you lived here? | perfect: still true |
- Words that often go with the perfectaldrig (never), nogensinde (ever), endnu (yet), allerede (already), lige (just)
- Time words and phrases for the pasti går (yesterday), i sidste uge (last week), for to år siden (two years ago), da jeg var barn (when I was a child)
Common mistakes
Wrong:
Hun har gået hjem.Right:Hun er gået hjem.
“Has gone home” (she's left) takes er. Har gået hjem would stress the walking, not that she's gone.
Wrong:
Jeg har spiset.Right:Jeg har spist.
Spise is a -te verb, so the participle ends in -t.
Wrong:
Vi har blevet trætte.Right:Vi er blevet trætte.
Blive describes a change, so it takes er.
Wrong:
Jeg er været i Skagen.Right:Jeg har været i Skagen.
Være itself takes har: har været.
Check yourself
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