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Danish grammar A1: beginner

The complete guide from A1 to B1: the rules, examples to listen to, the usual mistakes.

At level A1, you learn the grammar you need for your first conversations in Danish. Two facts matter most: the verb has one form for every person and comes second in a main clause.

By the end of level A1, you will be able to:

  • say who you are and where you live, with the present (present simple): jeg bor (“I live”);
  • say what you are doing now, with the same present: Hun læser (“She reads”, “She is reading”);
  • say what you can, want or must do, with a modal verb: jeg vil bo (“I want to live”);
  • use the infinitive with at, at bo (“to live”), and without at after a modal verb;
  • ask and answer questions, with the verb first, question words, short answers and jo (“yes” after a negative question);
  • say what is not so, with ikke after the verb: Jeg forstår ikke. (“I don’t understand.”);
  • say how often and add a fact, with the central adverbs after the verb: altid, aldrig, også;
  • start a sentence with a time or a place, with the verb second and inversion: I dag arbejder jeg. (“Today I’m working.”);
  • name and count people and things, with en or et, the definite ending and the plural: bilen (“the car”);
  • describe people and things, with the agreement of the adjective: et nyt hus (“a new house”);
  • talk about people and say whose something is, with the pronouns and the possessives, hans, hendes and sin among them;
  • count, tell the time and give the date, with numbers;
  • say when, with the prepositions i, på and om: om en time (“in an hour”);
  • say where things are and where you go, with prepositions, hjemme (“at home”) and hjem (“home”);
  • tell people what to do, with the imperative: Kom! (“Come!”);
  • say what happened, with the past (past simple), or what has happened, with the perfect (present perfect): Hun har spist. (“She has eaten.”);
  • form the perfect with har, or with er for a few verbs of movement and change: Hun er kommet. (“She has come.”);
  • say what will happen, with skal, vil or the present with a time word.

  1. Saying who you are

    In this part, you will learn to say who you are and where you live.

  2. The present and the modal verbs

    In this part, you will learn to say what you do every day and what you like.

  3. Word order

    In this part, you will learn to build a Danish sentence, starting with the subject or with a time.

  4. Nouns

    In this part, you will learn about Danish nouns and their gender.

  5. Pronouns

    In this part, you will learn to avoid repeating a name, and to say whose something is.

  6. Adjectives

    In this part, you will learn to describe people and things with adjectives, and to ask “which”.

  7. Numbers and time

    In this part, you will learn to count, tell the time and give a date.

  8. Place and direction

    In this part, you will learn to say where people and things are and where they are going.

  9. The past (datid)

    In this part, you will learn to tell what happened yesterday, last week or years ago.

  10. The perfect (førnutid)

    In this part, you will learn to say what has happened and what you have done in your life.

  11. The future

    In this part, you will learn to talk about plans, intentions and what will happen.

  12. The imperative

    In this part, you will learn to tell someone what to do or not to do.

Contents · Danish grammar