foran/bag/mellem

In Front of / Behind / Between

Level 2

Danish uses foran (in front of), bag (behind), and mellem (between) to describe physical locations. These prepositions are invariable and do not change based on the noun.

How It Works

Spatial prepositions in Danish help you describe where things are located relative to each other.

  • Foran: Means 'in front of'. It is strictly spatial. Do not confuse it with før, which means 'before' in time.
  • Bag / Bagved: Both mean 'behind'. Bag is very common and concise before a noun, but bagved is also a standard preposition (e.g., 'bagved huset').
  • Mellem / Imellem: Both mean 'between'. While mellem is the most frequent choice, imellem is also used as a preposition, especially in fixed phrases like 'det bliver imellem os' (it stays between us).

Adverbial Forms:
When these words are used at the end of a sentence without a noun following them, they often take a specific form:

  • Foran stays the same: 'Han går foran.' (He walks in front.)
  • Bag usually becomes bagved: 'Han står bagved.' (He is standing behind.)
  • Mellem usually becomes imellem: 'Der er intet imellem.' (There is nothing in between.)

Examples (5)

  1. Der holder en bil foran huset.

    There is a car parked in front of the house.

    Word by Word: There holds a car in-front-of house-the.

    'Foran' describes the physical position of the car relative to the house.

  2. Hunden gemmer sig bag sofaen.

    The dog is hiding behind the sofa.

    Word by Word: Dog-the hides self behind sofa-the.

    'Bag' is used here because it is followed by the noun 'sofaen'.

  3. Bageren ligger mellem banken og apoteket.

    The bakery is located between the bank and the pharmacy.

    Word by Word: Bakery-the lies between bank-the and pharmacy-the.

    'Mellem' connects two distinct locations.

  4. Han sidder mellem sine venner.

    He is sitting between/among his friends.

    Word by Word: He sits between his friends.

    Danish uses 'mellem' even when there are more than two people.

  5. Jeg kan ikke se ham, han står bagved.

    I cannot see him, he is standing behind.

    Word by Word: I can not see him, he stands behind-at.

    We use 'bagved' here because there is no noun following the preposition.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'foran' for time instead of 'før'.

    Jeg kommer foran klokken otte.
    Jeg kommer før klokken otte.

    'Foran' is only for physical space. For time (before 8 o'clock), you must use før.

  • Using 'for' instead of 'foran' for physical location.

    Bilen holder for huset.
    Bilen holder foran huset.

    While 'for' has many uses, 'foran' is the standard term for 'in front of' in a spatial sense. Using just 'for' can sound like English interference.

  • Using 'bag' when you mean who is physically behind.

    Different MeaningHvem står bag?
    Hvem står bagved?

    'Hvem står bag?' is a good, common question, but it asks who is behind something, meaning who is responsible. To ask who is standing physically behind, use 'bagved'.

How It Connects

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

foran/bag/mellemLevel 2In Front of / Behind / Between

Learn This First

To use 'foran', 'bag', and 'mellem' correctly, you need to understand how to form definite nouns in Danish, as these prepositions usually describe the position of specific things. It is also helpful to be familiar with basic locational prepositions and the question word 'hvor' (where).

Words in This Pattern

foranbagmellem