Verb 'at være' (to be): er, var, har været
Can use 'at være' for identity, nationality, and descriptions
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 ExercisesDanish 'at være' is simpler than most — one present form 'er' for all persons!
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 Module 1: Danish greetings, pronunciation, and first sentences