Verbet "at være"

A1 — Verber

Verb 'at være' (to be): er (present), var (past), har været (perfect)

Can use 'at være' for identity, nationality, and descriptions

Verb 'at være' (to be): er (present), var (past), har været (perfect)

Examples

Jeg er studerende, og hun er lærer. — I am a student, and she is a teacher.
Vi var i København i går, men nu er vi hjemme. — We were in Copenhagen yesterday, but now we are home.
Er du dansk? Nej, jeg er svensk. — Are you Danish? No, I am Swedish.

VerberA1

The verb 'at være' (to be)

Verb 'at være' (to be): er, var, har været

Learning Goal

Can use 'at være' for identity, nationality, and descriptions

Exam Skills:LytteforståelseMundtlig produktionSkriftlig produktion

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

Jeg er studerende, og hun er lærer.

I am a student, and she is a teacher.

Vi var i København i går, men nu er vi hjemme.

We were in Copenhagen yesterday, but now we are home.

Er du dansk? Nej, jeg er svensk.

Are you Danish? No, I am Swedish.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

'At være': er (present, all persons), var (past), har været (perfect). No conjugation by person!

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Danish 'at være' is simpler than most — one present form 'er' for all persons!

Common Error Patterns

Dropping 'er' as in Russian

Danish ALWAYS needs 'er': Jeg er student, not *Jeg student.

Trying to conjugate 'er' by person

Danish verbs never change by person! It's always 'er' for all: jeg er, du er, han er.

Jeg er studerende, og hun er lærer.

I am a student, and she is a teacher.

All persons use 'er'. No article before professions: 'Jeg er studerende', not *'Jeg er en studerende'.

Vi var i København i går, men nu er vi hjemme.

We were in Copenhagen yesterday, but now we are home.

'Var' = were/was (past). 'Er' = are (present). 'I går' = yesterday.

Er du dansk? Nej, jeg er svensk.

Are you Danish? No, I am Swedish.

Questions: 'Er' moves to front. Nationalities are lowercase: dansk, svensk.

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

A1 Course

← Back to topics

Put it into practice

Try a free exercise from the course

Frequently asked questions

When is Verbet "at være" used?: Verbet at være (to be) er uregelmæssigt, men simpelt — alle personer bruger er i nutid!
How is Verbet "at være" formed?: Fantastisk! Til forskel fra engelsk (am/is/are) og tysk (bin/bist/ist/sind) har dansk kun én form: er — for alle personer!
What are common mistakes with Verbet "at være"?: Danish 'at være' is simpler than most — one present form for all persons! 🇬🇧 English: am/is/are all become 'er'. Much simpler! 🇷🇺 Russian: Russian drops 'to be' in present. Danish requires it: Jeg er student, not *Jeg student. 🇨🇿 Czech: jsem/jsi/je/jsme/jste/jsou all become 'er'. 🇩🇪 German: bin/bist/ist/sind → all just 'er'. Easy!

Frequently asked questions

When is Verbet "at være" used?

Verbet at være (to be) er uregelmæssigt, men simpelt — alle personer bruger er i nutid!

How is Verbet "at være" formed?

Fantastisk! Til forskel fra engelsk (am/is/are) og tysk (bin/bist/ist/sind) har dansk kun én form: er — for alle personer!

What are common mistakes with Verbet "at være"?

Danish 'at være' is simpler than most — one present form for all persons! 🇬🇧 English: am/is/are all become 'er'. Much simpler! 🇷🇺 Russian: Russian drops 'to be' in present. Danish requires it: Jeg er student, not *Jeg student. 🇨🇿 Czech: jsem/jsi/je/jsme/jste/jsou all become 'er'. 🇩🇪 German: bin/bist/ist/sind → all just 'er'. Easy!