ikke

Negation with Ikke

Level 1

In Danish, ikke is the universal way to say 'not'. Its position changes depending on whether you are making a simple statement or using a subclause.

How It Works

The word ikke is the most common way to negate a sentence in Danish. Understanding its placement is key to becoming confident with Danish syntax.

1. Main Clauses (Standard Sentences)
In a basic sentence, ikke follows the finite verb. Because of the V2 rule, if the sentence starts with something other than the subject, the subject and verb swap places, and ikke follows the subject.
Example: Jeg spiser ikke kød. (I do not eat meat.)

2. The Pronoun Shift
If the object is an unstressed pronoun (like den, det, mig, dig), ikke moves after the pronoun. However, this light pronoun shift only happens if there is no auxiliary or modal verb in the sentence.
Example: Jeg kender ham ikke. (I don't know him.)

3. Subordinate Clauses
In subclauses (introduced by words like at or fordi), ikke must come before the verb.
Example: Han siger, at han ikke kommer. (He says that he is not coming.)

4. Negating Verbs vs. Nouns
Use ikke to negate the action (the verb). If you want to negate a noun (meaning 'no' or 'none'), use ingen or intet instead.
Example: Jeg spiser ikke (I am not eating) vs. Jeg har ingen mad (I have no food).

5. Tag Questions: ikke? vs. vel?
To ask '..., right?' or '..., aren't you?', Danish uses two different tags:
• Use ikke? after a positive statement: Du kommer, ikke? (You're coming, right?)
• Use vel? after a negative statement: Du kommer ikke, vel? (You aren't coming, are you?)

Examples (6)

  1. Jeg forstår ikke spørgsmålet.

    I do not understand the question.

    Word by Word: I understand not the-question.

    A standard main clause where 'ikke' follows the verb 'forstår'.

  2. Jeg så den ikke.

    I didn't see it.

    Word by Word: I saw it not.

    Because 'den' (it) is a pronoun, 'ikke' shifts to the position after it.

  3. Jeg ved, at han ikke er her.

    I know that he is not here.

    Word by Word: I know, that he not is here.

    In this subclause starting with 'at', 'ikke' must come before the verb 'er'.

  4. Det regner, ikke?

    It's raining, right?

    Word by Word: It rains, not?

    Here 'ikke' is used as a tag question to seek agreement for a positive statement.

  5. Du er ikke sulten, vel?

    You aren't hungry, are you?

    Word by Word: You are not hungry, right?

    When the main sentence is negative, we use 'vel?' instead of 'ikke?' as the tag question.

  6. Jeg har ingen penge.

    I have no money.

    Word by Word: I have no money.

    While 'ikke' negates the verb, 'ingen' is used here to negate the noun 'penge'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'do-support' like in English.

    Jeg gør ikke forstå.
    Jeg forstår ikke.

    Danish does not use a helper verb like 'do' for negation. You negate the main verb directly.

  • Placing 'ikke' after the verb in a subclause.

    Jeg er glad, fordi solen skinner ikke.
    Jeg er glad, fordi solen ikke skinner.

    In subclauses (like those starting with 'fordi'), 'ikke' must come before the verb.

  • Double negation with 'ingen'.

    Jeg har ikke ingen penge.
    Jeg har ingen penge.

    Danish does not use double negatives. Use either 'ikke nogen' or just 'ingen'.

How It Connects

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ikkeLevel 1Negation with Ikke

Learn This First

To use 'ikke' correctly, you need to understand basic Danish word order, as the placement of the negation particle depends on the position of the finite verb. You should also be familiar with basic verb conjugation in the present tense to form complete negative sentences.

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Words in This Pattern

ikke