A0 Basic Verbs 1 min read Facile

The Verb 'at være' (to be) in Present Tense

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

In Danish, the verb 'at være' (to be) is 'er' for all subjects, making it one of the easiest verbs to learn.

  • Use 'er' for all persons: Jeg er (I am), Du er (You are), Han er (He is).
  • To make it negative, simply add 'ikke' after the verb: Jeg er ikke (I am not).
  • To ask a question, invert the subject and verb: Er du? (Are you?).
Subject + er + (ikke) + Complement

Present Tense of 'at være'

Person Danish English
Jeg
er
I am
Du
er
You are
Han/Hun/Den/Det
er
He/She/It is
Vi
er
We are
I
er
You (pl) are
De
er
They are

Meanings

The verb 'at være' is the Danish equivalent of 'to be'. It is used to describe states, identities, or locations.

1

Identity/State

Describing who or what someone is.

“Jeg er dansker.”

“Hun er lærer.”

Reference Table

Reference table for The Verb 'at være' (to be) in Present Tense
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Subject + er + Complement
Jeg er glad.
Negative
Subject + er + ikke + Complement
Jeg er ikke glad.
Question
Er + Subject + Complement?
Er du glad?
Negative Question
Er + Subject + ikke + Complement?
Er du ikke glad?
Short Answer (Yes)
Ja, [Subject] er.
Ja, jeg er.
Short Answer (No)
Nej, [Subject] er ikke.
Nej, jeg er ikke.

Spectre de formalité

Formel
Jeg er tilfreds.

Jeg er tilfreds. (Expressing satisfaction)

Neutre
Jeg er glad.

Jeg er glad. (Expressing satisfaction)

Informel
Jeg er glad.

Jeg er glad. (Expressing satisfaction)

Argot
Jeg er helt oppe at køre.

Jeg er helt oppe at køre. (Expressing satisfaction)

Uses of 'at være'

at være

Identity

  • Jeg er lærer I am a teacher

Location

  • Vi er her We are here

State

  • Hun er træt She is tired
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Exemples par niveau

1

Jeg er glad.

I am happy.

2

Du er sød.

You are sweet.

3

Han er her.

He is here.

4

Det er godt.

That is good.

1

Er du træt?

Are you tired?

2

Vi er ikke hjemme.

We are not home.

3

Hun er læge.

She is a doctor.

4

De er i København.

They are in Copenhagen.

1

Det er vigtigt, at vi er forberedte.

It is important that we are prepared.

2

Er det ikke en god idé?

Isn't that a good idea?

3

Min bror er dansker.

My brother is Danish.

4

Hvorfor er du så sen?

Why are you so late?

1

Det er ikke til at tro.

It is unbelievable.

2

Er der nogen, der er ledig?

Is there anyone who is available?

3

Hun er kendt for at være dygtig.

She is known for being skilled.

4

Det er en fornøjelse at være her.

It is a pleasure to be here.

1

Det er således, at vi må handle nu.

It is thus that we must act now.

2

Hvor er det dog smukt!

How beautiful it is!

3

Det er ikke desto mindre sandt.

It is nonetheless true.

4

Man er aldrig for gammel til at lære.

One is never too old to learn.

1

Det er mig, der er ansvarlig for dette.

It is I who am responsible for this.

2

Hvor er det dog en mærkværdig situation.

What a strange situation it is.

3

Det er ikke blot et spørgsmål om tid.

It is not merely a question of time.

4

Er det ikke at gå for vidt?

Is that not going too far?

Facile à confondre

The Verb 'at være' (to be) in Present Tense vs at være vs. at have

Learners mix up 'to be' and 'to have'.

The Verb 'at være' (to be) in Present Tense vs at være vs. at blive

Learners mix up 'to be' and 'to become'.

The Verb 'at være' (to be) in Present Tense vs ikke placement

Learners put 'ikke' before the verb.

Erreurs courantes

✗

Jeg am

✓

Jeg er

English interference.
✗

Han er ikke træt

✓

Han er ikke træt

Actually correct, but learners often put 'ikke' before 'er'.
✗

Jeg er en lærer

✓

Jeg er lærer

Danish omits the article for professions.
✗

Er du?

✓

Er du?

Correct, but learners often forget to invert.
✗

De erer

✓

De er

Over-conjugating.
✗

Er ikke du her?

✓

Er du ikke her?

Incorrect negation placement.
✗

Vi erer

✓

Vi er

Adding plural endings.
✗

Det er at være godt

✓

Det er godt

Redundant use of 'at være'.
✗

Hun er en dansker

✓

Hun er dansker

Article usage with nationality.
✗

Er det ikke?

✓

Er det ikke det?

Missing the pronoun in tag questions.
✗

Det er mig, som er ansvarlig

✓

Det er mig, der er ansvarlig

Relative pronoun choice.
✗

Det er ikke desto mindre sand

✓

Det er ikke desto mindre sandt

Adjective agreement.
✗

Man er aldrig for gammel til lære

✓

Man er aldrig for gammel til at lære

Missing 'at'.

Structures de phrases

Jeg er ___.

Er du ___?

Det er ikke ___.

Han er ___.

Real World Usage

Social Media constant

Jeg er på ferie!

Texting constant

Er du hjemme?

Job Interview very common

Jeg er meget motiveret.

Ordering Food common

Det er fint, tak.

Travel common

Hvor er stationen?

Email common

Jeg er interesseret i stillingen.

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💡

Don't conjugate!

Stop trying to change 'er'. It's always 'er'.
⚠️

Negation placement

Always put 'ikke' after 'er'.
🎯

No articles for jobs

Say 'Jeg er lærer', not 'Jeg er en lærer'.
💬

Be direct

Danish is direct; 'Jeg er træt' is a perfectly acceptable thing to say.

Smart Tips

Use 'Jeg er' followed by an adjective.

Jeg glad. → Jeg er glad.

Move 'er' to the front.

Du er klar? → Er du klar?

Add 'ikke' after 'er'.

Jeg ikke er træt. → Jeg er ikke træt.

Drop the article.

Jeg er en lærer. → Jeg er lærer.

Prononciation

/eːɐ/

er

The 'er' is pronounced like 'air' but with a softer 'r'.

Question intonation

Er du klar? ↗

Rising pitch at the end indicates a question.

Mémorise-le

Moyen mnémotechnique

Remember that Danish is 'er-easy' because it's always 'er'!

Association visuelle

Imagine a giant 'ER' sign glowing in the sky. No matter who walks under it, the sign stays the same.

Rhyme

No matter who you are or where you be, just use 'er' for 'at være', you'll see!

Story

A traveler arrives in Denmark. He is worried about grammar. He meets a local who says, 'Don't worry, just say er.' He tries it: 'Jeg er glad', 'Du er sød', 'Vi er her'. It works every time!

Word Web

erikkegladtrætherhjemme

Défi

Write 5 sentences about yourself using 'er' in 5 minutes.

Notes culturelles

Danes value modesty. Using 'er' to describe yourself is fine, but avoid bragging.

Comes from Proto-Germanic *wesaną.

Amorces de conversation

“

Er du træt i dag?

“

Er du fra Danmark?

“

Er det svært at lære dansk?

“

Er du klar til weekenden?

Sujets d'écriture

Describe yourself using 5 sentences with 'er'.
Describe your best friend.
What is your favorite place and why?
How do you feel about learning Danish?

Erreurs courantes

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

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Test Yourself

Fill in the correct form of 'at være'.

Jeg ___ glad.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: er
The verb is always 'er'.
Choose the correct sentence. Choix multiple

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jeg er ikke træt.
'ikke' follows the verb.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Han am træt.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Han er træt.
Use 'er'.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Er du glad?
Invert for questions.
Translate to Danish. Traduction

She is a doctor.

Answer starts with: Hun...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Hun er læge.
No article for professions.
Conjugate for 'Vi'. Conjugation Drill

Vi ___ her.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: er
Always 'er'.
Match the sentence to its meaning. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: I am tired
Træt means tired.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Er du klar? B: Ja, ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: jeg er
Short answer.

Score: /8

Exercices pratiques

8 exercises
Fill in the correct form of 'at være'.

Jeg ___ glad.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: er
The verb is always 'er'.
Choose the correct sentence. Choix multiple

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jeg er ikke træt.
'ikke' follows the verb.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Han am træt.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Han er træt.
Use 'er'.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

er / du / glad / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Er du glad?
Invert for questions.
Translate to Danish. Traduction

She is a doctor.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Hun er læge.
No article for professions.
Conjugate for 'Vi'. Conjugation Drill

Vi ___ her.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: er
Always 'er'.
Match the sentence to its meaning. Match Pairs

Jeg er træt.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: I am tired
Træt means tired.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Er du klar? B: Ja, ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: jeg er
Short answer.

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

No, 'er' is used for both singular and plural subjects.

In Danish, professions are treated as categories, so the article is omitted.

It always goes after the verb 'er'.

No, use 'at have' for possession.

No, the past tense is 'var'.

Put 'er' at the beginning of the sentence.

No, it's a direct statement of fact.

'At være' is a state, 'at blive' is a change of state.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

German high

sein

Danish has no person-based conjugation.

Spanish low

ser/estar

Danish uses 'er' for both.

French moderate

être

Danish is invariant.

Japanese partial

desu

Japanese word order is SOV, Danish is SVO.

Arabic low

kāna

Danish requires 'er' in the present tense.

Chinese moderate

shì

Danish 'er' is used for states and locations too.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Connected Grammar

Personal Pronouns

Prerequisite

You need to know who is being described.

Negation

Builds On

Explains how to use 'ikke' with other verbs.

Past Tense

Contrast

Shows how 'er' changes to 'var'.

Possessive Verbs

Contrast

Distinguishes 'at være' from 'at have'.

Previous
Plural Personal Pronouns
Next
Subject-Verb Agreement (The Lack Thereof)
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