Er-Perfect With State Change
In Danish, most verbs use have (har) to form the perfect tense. However, a specific group of intransitive verbs—those showing a change of state or movement to a goal—use være (er) instead.
How It Works
While English almost always uses 'have' (e.g., 'I have gone'), Danish distinguishes between the activity and the result. This is known as the unaccusative er-perfect.
1. Movement to a Destination
If a verb of motion includes a specific goal or implies leaving a place, use er. If it describes the activity of moving (like exercise), use har.
- Han er gået hjem (He has gone home - he is there now).
- Han har gået en tur (He has taken a walk - focus on the activity).
2. Change of State
Verbs that describe a transition from one state to another (e.g., waking up, dying, disappearing, becoming) take er. Note: The verb være (to be) is an exception and always takes have (Jeg har været).
- Blomsten er visnet (The flower has withered).
- Han er vågnet (He has woken up).
3. The Transitivity Rule
If an unaccusative verb is used transitively (it has a direct object), the auxiliary must change to har.
- Bilen er stoppet (The car has stopped - no object).
- Han har stoppet bilen (He has stopped the car - 'bilen' is the object).
4. Morphology
In the perfect tense, the verb takes the supine form. In modern standard Danish, this form does not change based on the subject (e.g., De er gået, not De er gåede).
Examples (5)
- Gæsterne er gået nu.
The guests have left now.
Word by Word: The guests are gone now.
The verb 'at gå' (to walk/go) uses 'er' here because it implies they have departed (a change of location).
- Hvad er der sket?
What has happened?
Word by Word: What is there happened?
'At ske' (to happen) is a classic change-of-state verb that always takes 'er'.
- Min nøgle er forsvundet.
My key has disappeared.
Word by Word: My key is disappeared.
Disappearing is a change of state (from present to absent), so 'er' is required.
- Han er kommet til København.
He has arrived in Copenhagen.
Word by Word: He is come to Copenhagen.
Because there is a specific destination (Copenhagen), 'er' is used with 'komme'.
- Priserne er faldet drastisk.
The prices have fallen drastically.
Word by Word: The prices are fallen drastically.
'At falde' (to fall) indicates a change of state or position, requiring 'er'.
Common Mistakes
Using 'er' when the verb has a direct object (transitive use).
Han er stoppet bilen.Han har stoppet bilen.Even if a verb usually takes 'er' (like 'stoppe'), it must switch to 'har' if it takes a direct object. 'Bilen er stoppet' (The car has stopped) vs 'Han har stoppet bilen' (He has stopped the car).
Using 'er' as the auxiliary for the verb 'være' (to be).
Jeg er været i Danmark i to år.Jeg har været i Danmark i to år.Although 'være' describes a state, it is an exception and always uses 'har' as its auxiliary in the perfect tense.
Using 'er' for motion without a destination.
Jeg er svømmet i morges.Jeg har svømmet i morges.If you are just describing the activity of swimming (and not swimming to a specific place), you must use 'har'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand the unaccusative er-perfect, learners must first be familiar with the basic er-perfect construction and the selection criteria between 'har' and 'er' as auxiliary verbs. Additionally, because unaccusative participles in Danish often exhibit adjectival behavior (agreeing with the subject), a firm grasp of adjective agreement is necessary.
- er + Past ParticiplePerfect with Er
The unaccusative perfect is a specific subset of the er-perfect construction, requiring knowledge of how 'være' functions as an auxiliary.
Level 2 - Adjective Agreement
In unaccusative constructions, the past participle often functions like an adjective and must agree in number and gender with the subject.
Level 2 - har / erChoosing Har or Er
Understanding when to use 'er' instead of 'har' is fundamental to identifying unaccusative verbs that express a change of state or location.
Level 2
Related Patterns
- har + Past ParticiplePerfect with Har
This is the standard way to form the perfect tense for most other verbs, including the verb 'være' itself.
Level 2 - bliveBecome (Blive)
'Blive' (to become) is one of the most common verbs that always uses the er-perfect.
Level 2 - være + Past ParticipleState Passive with Være
This related construction uses 'være' to describe a resulting state (the state passive).
Level 3 - -et/-tPast Participle -et/-t
This is the specific verb form used with 'er' to create the perfect tense.
Level 2 - Change Of State Intransitives
Explains how verbs change between 'er' (intransitive) and 'har' (transitive) based on the focus of the action.
Level 5
Words in This Pattern
Practice Er-Perfect With State Change in Bubblegum
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