Danish Word Order

Learn about word order in Danish

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Danish Word Order

In general, the word order of Danish is the same as English: Subject + Verb + Object. However, the word order is slightly different from English when something other than the subject of the verb begins the sentence. In declarative sentences, the main verb is always in the second position (but not necessarily the second word!). For example, if a sentence begins with an adverb or an object, the verb will be the second element in the sentence, and the subject will come after the verb. Then any other forms of verbs (such as participles or infinitives) will come after the subject.

Adverb or Object	Main Verb	Subject	(Participle / Infinitive)	Translation
I morgen	tager	jeg	til Danmark	I'm going to Denmark tomorrow.
I butikken	køber	jeg	brød	I buy bread in the store.

In sentences that begin with a subordinate clause, the second (independent) clause will have inversion of the verb and subject. The subordinate clause is the first element in the sentence, so the verb must be second, and the subject is third.

Subordinate Clause	Main Verb	Subject	Rest of Sentence	Translation
Da jeg var ung	boede	jeg	i Danmark.	When I was young, I lived in Denmark.
Nu hvor hun er kommet	kan	vi	begynde	Now that she's arrived we can begin.

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