fra

From

Level 1

Use fra to say where something starts or where someone comes from. It is the Danish equivalent of 'from'.

How It Works

The preposition fra is one of the most common words in Danish. Its primary functions include:

  • Origin: Indicating where a person or object originates. Example: Jeg er fra Danmark (I am from Denmark).
  • Starting Point in Time: Marking when an event begins, often paired with til (to).
  • Source: Identifying the sender of information or an object. While fra is the standard way to say a gift is 'from' someone (e.g., en gave fra min mor), you may sometimes hear af used specifically with the verb at få (to get) to emphasize a direct personal exchange (e.g., Jeg fik en gave af min mor).
  • Separation: Used with verbs of movement to show moving away from a place.

Important: While nouns do not change form after prepositions, pronouns must switch to their object form (e.g., mig, dig, ham, hende). For example, you say fra mig (from me), not fra jeg.

Examples (6)

  1. Jeg kommer fra Polen.

    I come from Poland.

    Word by Word: I come from Poland.

    Here, 'fra' indicates the speaker's country of origin.

  2. Butikken er åben fra klokken ni.

    The shop is open from nine o'clock.

    Word by Word: The shop is open from clock nine.

    In this context, 'fra' marks the starting point in time.

  3. Tag det fra ham.

    Take it from him.

    Word by Word: Take it from him.

    This shows how pronouns change to the object form (ham) after 'fra'.

  4. Toget kører fra spor tre.

    The train departs from platform three.

    Word by Word: The train drives from track three.

    'Fra' indicates the physical starting point of the journey.

  5. Vi arbejder fra mandag til fredag.

    We work from Monday to Friday.

    Word by Word: We work from Monday to Friday.

    This shows the common 'fra... til...' (from... to...) construction for ranges.

  6. Jeg fik en gave af min søster.

    I got a gift from my sister.

    Word by Word: I got a gift of my sister.

    While 'fra' is common, 'af' is often used when receiving something from a specific person acting as a giver.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'fra' instead of 'af' for materials or parts of a whole.

    En del fra gruppen.
    En del af gruppen.

    When talking about a 'part of' something, Danish uses af, not 'fra'.

  • Using 'fra' for 'since' with the perfect tense.

    Jeg har boet her fra 2010.
    Jeg har boet her siden 2010.

    If the action started in the past and continues to the present, use siden (since) instead of 'fra'.

  • Using 'fra' for the author or creator of something.

    Different MeaningEn bog fra H.C. Andersen.
    En bog af H.C. Andersen.

    'En bog fra H.C. Andersen' is a good phrase if the book came from him, for example as a gift. To say he wrote it, use af.

How It Connects

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fraLevel 1From

Learn This First

To understand 'fra' (from), you need to know basic word order and subject pronouns to form simple sentences about origin. Additionally, knowing 'til' (to) helps in understanding the common 'from... to...' construction.

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