da / når

Choosing Da or Når

Level 2

Danish uses two different words for 'when': da and når. The choice depends on whether the event happened once in the past, or if it happens repeatedly/in the future.

How It Works

In English, the word 'when' is a jack-of-all-trades. In Danish, you must distinguish between time and frequency.

1. Using 'da' (The Past Anchor)
Use da when you are talking about a single, specific event or a defined period in the past that is now over. It acts as a historical anchor.

  • Da jeg var barn... (When I was a child - you were only a child once).
  • Da vi kom hjem, spiste vi. (When we got home [that specific time], we ate).

2. Using 'når' (The Rule of Habit and Future)
Use når for anything that hasn't happened yet, or for things that happen regularly. A good trick is to see if you can replace 'when' with 'whenever'.

  • Future: Jeg ringer, når jeg er klar. (I will call when I am ready).
  • Habitual Past: Når det regnede, blev vi inde. (Whenever it rained, we stayed inside).

3. Word Order
Both are subordinating conjunctions. This means if you start a sentence with a da or når clause, the main clause must follow the V2 rule (Verb-Subject order).

4. The Mnemonic
Danish learners often use the rhyme: 'Dengang da, hver gang når' (That time da, every time når).

Examples (5)

  1. Da jeg så filmen, græd jeg.

    When I saw the movie, I cried.

    Word by Word: When I saw movie-the, cried I.

    Use 'da' because seeing this specific movie happened at one specific point in the past.

  2. Jeg bliver glad, når solen skinner.

    I get happy when the sun shines.

    Word by Word: I become happy, when sun-the shines.

    Use 'når' because the sun shining is a repeated, general occurrence.

  3. Vi ses, når du kommer hjem.

    See you when you get home.

    Word by Word: We see-each-other, when you come home.

    Use 'når' for future events that haven't happened yet.

  4. Når jeg besøgte min mormor, fik jeg altid kage.

    Whenever I visited my grandma, I always got cake.

    Word by Word: When I visited my grandma, got I always cake.

    Even though this is in the past, we use 'når' because it was a repeated habit (indicated by 'altid').

  5. Da vi boede i Aarhus, havde vi en hund.

    When we lived in Aarhus, we had a dog.

    Word by Word: When we lived in Aarhus, had we a dog.

    Use 'da' for a specific, finished period in the past.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'når' for a single past event.

    Når jeg blev født, var det koldt.
    Da jeg blev født, var det koldt.

    You are only born once. For unique past events, you must use 'da'.

  • Using 'da' for future events.

    Jeg kommer, da jeg er færdig.
    Jeg kommer, når jeg er færdig.

    'Da' is strictly for the past. For future timing, always use 'når'.

  • Confusing 'da/når' with 'hvornår' in questions.

    Da kommer du hjem?
    Hvornår kommer du hjem?

    'Da' and 'når' are conjunctions used to link clauses. To ask a question about time, you must use 'hvornår'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

da / nårLevel 2Choosing Da or Når

Learn This First

This comparison explains when to use når versus related patterns.

Words in This Pattern

danår