der (formelt subjekt)

Expletive Der

Level 2

In Danish, every sentence needs a subject. When you want to introduce something new (like 'There is a bus'), you use der as a placeholder subject so the actual topic can come after the verb.

How It Works

The word der acts as a formal subject in Danish. It is used to introduce new information or to say that something exists. While it often starts a sentence, its position is actually determined by the V2 rule.

Key Rules:

  • Formal Subject: Der takes the place of the subject, but the 'real' subject (the thing you are talking about) comes after the verb.
  • Word Order: If you start the sentence with der, the verb comes second. However, if you start with a time or place (like nu or i dag), the verb still comes second, and der moves to the third slot (e.g., Nu er der...).
  • Indefinite Only: The 'real' subject must be indefinite (e.g., en mand). You cannot use der with definite nouns (e.g., manden).
  • Verbs: It is most common with være (to be), but also works with verbs of motion (komme), position (sidde, ligge, stå), or in the impersonal passive.

Examples (6)

  1. Der er en kage i køkkenet.

    There is a cake in the kitchen.

    Word by Word: There is a cake in kitchen-the.

    A classic use of 'der' with 'være' to show existence.

  2. Nu kommer der en bus.

    Now a bus is coming.

    Word by Word: Now comes there a bus.

    This shows how 'der' moves after the verb when a time adverb like 'nu' starts the sentence, following the V2 rule.

  3. Der sidder en fugl på taget.

    There is a bird sitting on the roof.

    Word by Word: There sits a bird on roof-the.

    Danish often uses position verbs like 'sidde' (sit) with 'der' where English might just use 'is'.

  4. Der skete et uheld i morges.

    An accident happened this morning.

    Word by Word: There happened an accident in morning-the.

    Using 'der' to introduce a new piece of information using the verb 'ske' (happen).

  5. I går blev der spist meget kage.

    Yesterday a lot of cake was eaten.

    Word by Word: In yesterday was there eaten much cake.

    In this passive construction, 'der' acts as the formal subject and follows the verb because 'i går' is in the first slot.

  6. Der mangler noget salt i suppen.

    Some salt is missing in the soup.

    Word by Word: There lacks some salt in soup-the.

    Here, 'der' introduces the missing item (salt).

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'der er' with a definite noun to state existence.

    Different MeaningDer er bussen.
    Bussen er der.

    'Der er bussen!' is fine when you point at something you can see: it means 'There is the bus'. For plain existence, 'der' goes with an indefinite noun (Der er en bus). With a definite noun, put it first: Bussen er der.

  • Confusing 'der' with 'det' for existence.

    Det er mange mennesker til festen.
    Der er mange mennesker til festen.

    English speakers often use 'det' (it) because they confuse dummy subjects. Use 'der' for 'there is/are' when introducing existence.

How It Connects

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der (formelt subjekt)Level 2Expletive Der

Learn This First

To understand 'der' as a formal subject, you first need to be familiar with the basic 'there is/are' construction (der er). You also need to understand Danish word order (V2), as 'der' acts as a placeholder to keep the verb in the second position when the real subject is moved. Finally, you should know how to conjugate regular verbs in the present tense to use them with this construction.

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der