Deeply Nested Clauses

Level 6

Deeply nested clauses occur when one subordinate clause is placed inside another. In Danish, the rule is absolute: every subordinate clause uses subordinate word order, meaning the negation (ikke) always comes before the verb.

How It Works

Advanced Danish syntax requires maintaining the negation-before-verb rule across multiple levels of embedding. While complex, these structures are essential to become proficient in natural Danish.

1. The Recursive Rule:
Whenever you start a new clause with a conjunction like at, fordi, or hvis, you must place sentence adverbs like ikke, aldrig, or altid before the finite verb, regardless of how many layers deep the clause is.

2. Sætningsknuder (Sentence Knots):
Contrary to what many learners expect, 'sentence knots' are extremely common in everyday spoken Danish. This occurs when a relative pronoun or question word is 'extracted' from a deep clause to the front of the sentence (e.g., Det er den bog, som jeg ikke tror, han har læst). This is a characteristic feature of Scandinavian speech that allows for fluid, natural communication.

3. The 'Der' Rule in Extraction:
When the subject of a nested clause is extracted, the conjunction at is often replaced by der. In this context, der acts as a relative marker to satisfy the grammatical requirement for a visible subject in the subordinate clause (e.g., Hvem tror du, der har gjort det?).

Examples (4)

  1. Jeg ved, at han sagde, at hun ikke troede, at vi kom.

    I know that he said that she did not think that we were coming.

    Word by Word: I know, that he said, that she not thought, that we came.

    Notice how 'ikke' is placed before 'troede' because it is inside a nested subordinate clause.

  2. Det er en bog, som jeg ikke tror, at han har læst.

    That is a book that I don't think he has read.

    Word by Word: That is a book, which I not think, that he has read.

    This is a 'sentence knot'. The negation 'ikke' stays before 'tror' because the clause starting with 'som' is subordinate.

  3. Han spurgte, om jeg vidste, hvorfor de ikke ville være med.

    He asked if I knew why they did not want to participate.

    Word by Word: He asked, if I knew, why they not would be with.

    Three layers: 1. om... 2. hvorfor... 3. ikke ville... Each layer follows subordinate order.

  4. Hvem tror du, der ikke har forstået opgaven?

    Who do you think (that) hasn't understood the assignment?

    Word by Word: Who think you, there not has understood the-task?

    When the subject is extracted in a nested question, 'der' is used instead of 'at', and 'ikke' remains before the verb.

Common Mistakes

  • Using V2 (Main Clause) word order in deep layers.

    Jeg ved, at han sagde, at hun troede ikke på det.
    Jeg ved, at han sagde, at hun ikke troede på det.

    Learners often forget the subordinate rule as the sentence gets longer. In Danish, 'ikke' must stay before the verb in every nested layer.

  • Mirroring English word order in nested clauses.

    Han sagde, at han kunne ikke komme.
    Han sagde, at han ikke kunne komme.

    English says 'could not' (Verb + Not), but Danish requires 'ikke kunne' (Not + Verb) in all subordinate clauses.

How It Connects

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

Deeply Nested ClausesLevel 6

Learn This First

To learn nested relative clauses, you must first be comfortable with the conjunction 'at' and the specific word order rules for subordinate clauses, particularly the placement of the negation 'ikke' before the verb.