Regular verbs in present tense
Regular verbs: -er ending for ALL persons
Can form present tense of regular Danish verbs
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Jeg taler dansk, og hun taler engelsk.
I speak Danish, and she speaks English.
Vi spiser morgenmad klokken otte.
We eat breakfast at eight o'clock.
Børnene leger i haven, og far læser avisen.
The children play in the garden, and dad reads the newspaper.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
All Danish verbs use the same form for all persons. Present: infinitive stem + -er/-r.
The biggest relief for learners: Danish verbs NEVER change by person!
🇬🇧 English: Even English distinguishes 'I speak' vs 'he speaks'. Danish: ALL persons use 'taler'.
🇷🇺 Russian: Russian conjugates
Common Error Patterns
Trying to conjugate verbs by person
Danish verbs NEVER change by person. It's always the same: jeg spiser, du spiser, han spiser.
Wrong present tense ending
Remove 'at', add -r to vowel stems (bo→bor) or -er to consonant stems (spis→spiser).
Jeg taler dansk, og hun taler engelsk.
I speak Danish, and she speaks English.
Same form 'taler' for both jeg and hun. No conjugation by person ever!
Vi spiser morgenmad klokken otte.
We eat breakfast at eight o'clock.
'Spiser' from 'at spise'. 'Morgenmad' = breakfast (literally 'morning food'). 'Klokken' = at (time).
Børnene leger i haven, og far læser avisen.
The children play in the garden, and dad reads the newspaper.
'Leger' from 'at lege' (play). 'Læser' from 'at læse' (read). Both regular -er endings.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises