Contents · A1
- Saying who you are
- The present and the modal verbs
- Word order
- Nouns
- Pronouns
- Adjectives
- Numbers and time
- Counting: cardinal numbers, en, to, treogtyve, halvtreds, hundrede
- Telling the time: klokken, halv, kvart over, kvart i
- Giving the date: ordinal numbers, første, anden, den femte maj
- Saying when: time phrases with i, om and på
- Saying how long and until when: fra … til, før, efter, om, i
- Saying how often: adverbs of frequency, altid, sjældent, en gang om ugen
- Place and direction
- The past (datid)
- The perfect (førnutid)
- The future
- The imperative
Translations of the examples:
Tap a sentence to see its translation.
In this part, you will learn to count, tell the time and give a date. You will also learn to say when and how often something happens.
- Counting: cardinal numbers, en, to, treogtyve, halvtreds, hundrede
- Telling the time: klokken, halv, kvart over, kvart i
- Giving the date: ordinal numbers, første, anden, den femte maj
- Saying when: time phrases with i, om and på
- Saying how long and until when: fra … til, før, efter, om, i
- Saying how often: adverbs of frequency, altid, sjældent, en gang om ugen
Counting: cardinal numbers, en, to, treogtyve, halvtreds, hundrede#
From 21 on, the unit comes before the ten, and the tens from 50 to 90 are counted in twenties.
- Jeg er fireogtyve år.I’m twenty-four.
- Bogen koster halvfems kroner.The book costs ninety kroner.
- Der bor tres mennesker i landsbyen.Sixty people live in the village.
- Vi har otte stole og et bord.We have eight chairs and one table.
- Min mor er født i nitten hundrede og firs.My mother was born in 1980.
Formation
| 0–10 | 11–20 | Tens |
|---|---|---|
| nul, en (et), to, tre, fire, fem | elleve, tolv, tretten, fjorten, femten | 20 tyve, 30 tredive, 40 fyrre |
| seks, syv, otte, ni, ti | seksten, sytten, atten, nitten, tyve | 50 halvtreds, 60 tres, 70 halvfjerds |
| 80 firs, 90 halvfems |
- The numbers from 0 to 20 are single words.
- From 21 to 99, the unit comes first and is joined to the ten by og: enogtyve (21), treogtyve (23), femogfyrre (45).
- The tens from 50 to 90 are counted in twenties: halvtreds (50), tres (60), halvfjerds (70), firs (80), halvfems (90).
Counting in twenties
- Tres stands for three twenties (60) and firs for four twenties (80).
- Halvtreds is two and a half twenties, halvfjerds three and a half and halvfems four and a half.
Hundreds, thousands and years
- 100 is hundrede or et hundrede, and 1,000 is tusind or et tusind.
- The tens and units usually follow after og: hundrede og fem (105), to hundrede og femogtyve (225).
- A year before 2000 is counted in hundreds, often without og: nitten hundrede og firs (1980), nitten hundrede femogfirs (1985).
- From 2000 on, a year is counted in thousands: to tusind og ti (2010).
Use
- “One” is en before an en-word and et before an et-word: en dag, et år.
- A noun after a number above one is in the plural: tre dage.
- Prices are given in kroner (singular en krone) and øre: 12,50 kr. (“12.50 kroner”)
- In written numbers, a comma marks the decimals and a full stop the thousands: 12,50, 1.000.
Difference from English
- In English, the ten comes first (“twenty-three”); in Danish, the unit comes first, as in the old English “four-and-twenty”: treogtyve.
- The English tens are regular (“fifty”, “sixty”); the Danish tens from 50 to 90 are counted in twenties: halvtreds, tres.
Common mistakes
tyveogtre→ treogtyveThe unit comes before the ten.femtyve→ halvtredsFifty is not built like the English “five-ty”: it is halvtreds, counted in twenties.
Remember
- Put the unit first, then og and the ten: femogtyve (25).
- Learn the tens from 50 to 90 as words of their own: halvtreds (50), tres (60).
- Use the plural after a number above one: tre dage.
You now know how to count, give a year and give a price.
Practise
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Telling the time: klokken, halv, kvart over, kvart i#
The time follows Klokken er: over after the hour, i before it, halv towards the next one.
- Hvad er klokken nu? – Klokken er halv fire.What time is it now? – It’s half past three.
- Filmen begynder klokken otte.The film starts at eight.
- Nu er klokken kvart over ni.It’s a quarter past nine now.
- Vi spiser klokken seks.We eat at six.
- Toget kører fem minutter i tolv.The train leaves at five to twelve.
Formation
| Time | Danish |
|---|---|
| 7.00 | klokken syv |
| 7.10 | ti minutter over syv |
| 7.15 | kvart over syv |
| 7.25 | fem minutter i halv otte |
| 7.30 | halv otte |
| 7.35 | fem minutter over halv otte |
| 7.45 | kvart i otte |
| 7.50 | ti minutter i otte |
- The time is asked with Hvad er klokken? (“What time is it?”), and the answer begins with Klokken er.
- Over is used after the hour and i before it, with kvart (a quarter) or minutes: kvart over syv.
- With halv, the half hour is counted towards the next hour: 8.30 is halv ni (“half to nine”).
- Between twenty after and twenty to the hour, the minutes are often counted from the half hour. Thus 8.25 is fem minutter i halv ni, and 8.35 fem minutter over halv ni.
Use
- Klokken before a time means “at”: Bussen kører klokken syv. (“The bus leaves at seven.”)
- The 24-hour clock is used in timetables and on the radio: klokken 14.30 (fjorten tredive).
- In speech, a part of the day may be added: klokken to om natten (2 a.m.).
- In writing, a full stop is placed between the hours and the minutes: 9.15.
Tip
- With a digital time, give the hours and then the minutes as two numbers: Klokken er ti femten. (“It is ten fifteen.”)
Difference from English
- In English, 8.30 is counted from eight; in Danish, it is counted towards nine: halv ni.
Common mistakes
Klokken er halv to.→ Klokken er halv tre.At 2.30, the next hour is named after halv: tre.kvart til ni→ kvart i ni“To” the hour is i.på seks→ klokken seks“At” a time of day is klokken.
Remember
- Think of the next hour after halv: 8.30 is halv ni.
- Use over after the hour and i before it: kvart over ni, kvart i ni.
- Use klokken for “at” a time: klokken syv.
You now know how to ask the time and give it.
Practise
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Giving the date: ordinal numbers, første, anden, den femte maj#
A date is den, an ordinal number and the month: den femte maj.
- I dag er det den tredje juni.Today is the third of June.
- Hvornår har du fødselsdag? – Den tolvte april.When is your birthday? – The twelfth of April.
- Vi flytter den første august.We’re moving on the first of August.
- Det er anden gang, jeg er i Danmark.It’s the second time I’ve been in Denmark.
- Hun blev født i 2010.She was born in 2010.
Formation
| 1. første | 2. anden (andet) | 3. tredje | 4. fjerde |
| 5. femte | 6. sjette | 7. syvende | 8. ottende |
| 9. niende | 10. tiende | 11. ellevte | 12. tolvte |
| 13. trettende | 14. fjortende | 15. femtende | 16. sekstende |
| 17. syttende | 18. attende | 19. nittende | 20. tyvende |
| 21. enogtyvende | 30. tredivte | 31. enogtredivte |
- The ordinals from 1 to 12 have forms of their own, learnt one by one: første, anden, tredje.
- From 13 to 19, the ordinals end in -ende: trettende, nittende.
- Anden has the form andet before an et-word: det andet år.
- An ordinal written in figures has a full stop: 5. is femte.
Use
- A date is den followed by the ordinal and the month: den femte maj, written den 5. maj or 5. maj.
- The months and the days of the week are written with small letters: maj, mandag.
- A year takes i: i 2026.
- The date is asked with Hvilken dato har vi i dag? (“What is the date today?”)
Tip
- In figures, write the day before the month, as in British English: den femte januar is d. 5.1 (d. stands for den).
Difference from English
- In English, “on the fifth of May” has “on” and “of”; in Danish, a date has neither: den tredje juni.
- In English, months and days take capitals; in Danish, they do not: maj, mandag.
Common mistakes
den fem maj→ den femte majA date takes the ordinal.på den femte maj→ den femte majA date has no preposition.den femte Maj→ den femte majA month has a small letter.
Remember
- Use the ordinal in a date: den femte maj.
- Put den before a date, with no preposition: den tolvte april.
- Write the months with a small letter: maj.
You now know how to give a date and how to say first, second and third.
Practise
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Saying when: time phrases with i, om and på#
I is used for today and a month, om for what happens regularly, and på for a coming day.
- I aften spiser vi hos Mia.Tonight we’re eating at Mia’s.
- Jeg læser avisen om morgenen.I read the paper in the morning.
- På fredag tager vi til Aarhus.On Friday we’re going to Aarhus.
- Om søndagen sover jeg længe.On Sundays I sleep late.
- Vi holder ferie hos mormor i juli.We’re spending the holiday at Grandma’s in July.
Formation
| English | Danish |
|---|---|
| today, tomorrow, yesterday | i dag, i morgen, i går |
| this evening, tonight | i aften |
| this weekend | i weekenden |
| in the morning (every day) | om morgenen |
| in the afternoon, in the evening, at night | om eftermiddagen, om aftenen, om natten |
| on Monday (the coming one) | på mandag |
| on Mondays | om mandagen |
| in May | i maj |
- I is part of the words for today, tomorrow and yesterday: i dag, i morgen, i går.
- I is also used for tonight, this weekend, months and years: i aften, i weekenden, i maj, i 2026.
- Om with the definite form is used for what happens regularly: om morgenen, om aftenen, om natten, om mandagen.
- På with a day is used for the coming one: på mandag (next Monday).
Use
- After a time phrase in first place, the verb comes before the subject: I morgen ser jeg en film. (“Tomorrow I am watching a film.”)
- This word order is set out in Starting with a time or a place: inversion, the verb before the subject.
Difference from English
- I morgen is “tomorrow”, not “in the morning”.
- In the same way, om aftenen is “in the evening” and i aften is “tonight”.
- English “on Friday” is på fredag for the coming Friday and om fredagen for every Friday.
Common mistakes
i morgenen→ om morgenenA regular part of the day takes om.på maj→ i majA month takes i.i mandag→ på mandagThe coming Monday is på mandag.
Remember
- Use om and the definite form for every day: om morgenen.
- Use på with a day for the coming one: på fredag.
- Use i for today, tomorrow and a month: i dag, i maj.
You now know how to say when something happens.
Going further
- For a day gone by, see Saying when it happened: i går, i søndags, for tre dage siden.
Practise
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Saying how long and until when: fra … til, før, efter, om, i#
A period is given with fra … til, the time from now with om and a length of time with i.
- Butikken har åbent fra ni til seks.The shop is open from nine to six.
- Vi spiser efter filmen.We’re eating after the film.
- Mads ringer om ti minutter.Mads will call in ten minutes.
- Jonas bor i London i en uge.Jonas is staying in London for a week.
- Jeg arbejder til klokken fire i dag.I’m working until four today.
Formation
| Danish | English |
|---|---|
| fra ni til fem | from nine to five |
| til klokken fem | until five o’clock |
| før frokost, efter frokost | before lunch, after lunch |
| om en time | in an hour (from now) |
| i en time | for an hour |
- Fra … til is used for the start and the end of a period: fra ni til fem.
- Til alone means “until”: til klokken fem.
- Før means “before” and efter “after”: før frokost, efter middagen.
- Before a time of day, klokken may be added: fra klokken ni.
Om or i
- Om is used for the time before something happens, counted from now: om en time (in an hour).
- I is used for how long something lasts: i tre dage (for three days).
Difference from English
- English “in an hour”, from now, is om en time, since i en time means “for an hour”.
Common mistakes
for tre dage→ i tre dageA length of time takes i.Bussen kommer i fem minutter.→ Bussen kommer om fem minutter.The time before something happens takes om.
Remember
- Use om for the time from now: om ti minutter.
- Use i for how long something lasts: i en uge.
- Use fra … til for a period: fra mandag til fredag.
You now know how to say from when, until when and for how long.
Practise
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Saying how often: adverbs of frequency, altid, sjældent, en gang om ugen#
An adverb of frequency comes after the finite verb, a phrase like hver dag at the end or first.
- Jeg spiser altid morgenmad i køkkenet.I always have breakfast in the kitchen.
- Spiser du tit fisk?Do you often eat fish?
- Lars cykler sjældent på arbejde.Lars rarely cycles to work.
- Vi spiller fodbold en gang om ugen.We play football once a week.
- Hver dag går Mads en tur.Mads goes for a walk every day.
Formation
| Danish | English |
|---|---|
| hver dag, hver uge, hvert år | every day, every week, every year |
| en gang om ugen | once a week |
| to gange om dagen | twice a day |
| tre gange om måneden | three times a month |
| hvor tit?, hvor ofte? | how often? |
- Altid means “always”, ofte or tit “often”, and sjældent “rarely”.
- Somme tider or nogle gange means “sometimes”, and aldrig means “never”.
- In a statement, adverbs of frequency come after the finite verb. Their place is set out in Saying always, often or never: the central adverbs altid, tit, aldrig, også.
- In a question or after inversion, they come after the subject: Drikker du altid kaffe? (“Do you always drink coffee?”)
Use
- A phrase such as hver dag comes at the end of the clause, or first with the verb second.
- “Once a week” is en gang om ugen: om and the definite form, as in om morgenen.
- The plural of gang is gange: to gange om dagen.
Difference from English
- In English, the adverb comes before the main verb; in Danish, it comes after the finite verb: Jeg spiser altid.
- English “a” in “once a week” is om and the definite form in Danish: en gang om ugen.
Common mistakes
Hun altid spiser brød.→ Hun spiser altid brød.The adverb comes after the finite verb.to gang om dagen→ to gange om dagenGang takes the plural gange after a number above one.
Remember
- Put altid, tit and aldrig right after the finite verb: Hun går aldrig i biografen. (“She never goes to the cinema.”)
- Put hver dag at the end of the clause: Jeg cykler hver dag. (“I cycle every day.”)
- For “a” in “twice a week”, use om and the definite form: to gange om ugen.
You now know how to say how often something happens.
In short
| Point | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 21–99 | unit + og + ten | treogtyve, femoghalvfems |
| the clock | halv ni (8.30), kvart over, kvart i | Nu er klokken halv ti. |
| at a time | klokken | klokken syv |
| dates | den + ordinal + month | den femte maj |
| days, parts of the day | på mandag; om morgenen; i dag, i morgen | Om aftenen ser vi fjernsyn. |
| from now, how long | om en time; i en time | Mads ringer om ti minutter. |
| frequency | adverb after the verb; phrase at the end | Hun spiser altid brød. |
Practise
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