Learn Danish – phrases (Negation 2)

In Danish, negation is used to express the absence or negation of something. Let’s look at some common ways to form negative sentences in Danish.

1. Negation with “ikke”: The most common way to create negation in Danish is by using the word “ikke,” which translates to “not” in English. It is usually placed directly after the verb or the auxiliary verb.

Example:

• Jeg kan lide chokolade. (I like chocolate.)
• Jeg kan ikke lide chokolade. (I don’t like chocolate.)

2. Negation with “ingen/ingen” (no/none): The word “ingen” is used to express negation when referring to countable nouns in the singular form, while “ingen” is used for plural countable nouns.

Examples:

• Der er en bog på bordet. (There is a book on the table.)
• Der er ingen bog på bordet. (There is no book on the table.)
• Der er bøger på hylden. (There are books on the shelf.)
• Der er ingen bøger på hylden. (There are no books on the shelf.)

3. Negation with “aldrig” (never): The word “aldrig” is used to express negation when referring to actions or events that never happen.

Example:

• Jeg spiser altid morgenmad. (I always eat breakfast.)
• Jeg spiser aldrig morgenmad. (I never eat breakfast.)

4. Negation with “intet” (nothing): The word “intet” is used to express negation when referring to uncountable nouns.

For Example:

• Der er noget vand i glasset. (There is some water in the glass.)
• Der er intet vand i glasset. (There is no water in the glass.)

5. Double negation: In Danish, double negation is used for emphasis. It means that two negation words are used in the same sentence.

Example:

• Jeg har ikke set nogen film. (I haven’t seen any movies.)
• Jeg har ikke set nogen film nogensinde. (I haven’t seen any movies ever.)

Remember that word order is important in Danish. The negation word is usually placed directly after the verb or auxiliary verb in a sentence.

That’s a brief overview of negation in Danish. Practice using these negation forms in sentences to become more comfortable with negating statements in Danish.