-te

Past Tense -te

Level 2

In Danish, -te is the past tense ending for Group 2 verbs. It is used to describe completed actions in the past, like 'I bought' (jeg købte) or 'she read' (hun læste).

How It Works

The -te suffix is one of the two main regular ways to form the past tense in Danish. Unlike English, the verb form remains the same regardless of the subject (jeg, du, vi, etc.).

Learn the Verb Class:
Many verbs with a long vowel and a single final consonant in the written stem use -te, such as købe → købte, spise → spiste, lære → lærte. This is a tendency, not a rule derived from one letter: tænk- has two consonants yet gives tænkte; røbe has a long vowel but gives røbede. The consonants r and l are liquids; n is nasal, as in mene → mente. Learn the past form together with the infinitive.

Productive -ede: The larger -ede class accepts many newly formed and borrowed verbs. Its members often have a short vowel and a consonant cluster or doubled consonant, but neither vowel length nor spelling determines the class without exceptions. Compare hente → hentede, ønske → ønskede, and the different tænke → tænkte.

Vowel Changes:
Some common Group 2 verbs also change their stem vowel when adding -te, such as følge (to follow) which becomes fulgte, or sælge (to sell) which becomes solgte.

How to form it:
1. Start with the infinitive (e.g., at spise).
2. Remove the final -e to find the stem (spis-).
3. Add -te (spiste).

Usage:
Use this form for actions that happened at a specific time in the past. If you are talking about an unspecified time, you might need the perfect tense instead.

Examples (4)

Jeg købte en ny cykel i går.
I bought a new bike yesterday.
Word by Word: I bought a new bike in yesterday.
The verb 'at købe' (to buy) becomes 'købte' in the past tense.
Hun læste bogen på to dage.
She read the book in two days.
Word by Word: She read book-the on two days.
The verb 'at læse' (to read) follows the Group 2 pattern by adding -te to the stem 'læs-'.
Vi tænkte tit på dig.
We thought of you often.
Word by Word: We thought often on you.
Tænk- ends in the two consonants n+k, yet this verb belongs to the -te class: tænkte.
De spiste aftensmad klokken seks.
They ate dinner at six o'clock.
Word by Word: They ate evening-food clock-the six.
Spise has a long vowel and takes -te: spiste. Long vowels occur in many verbs of this class, but are not a sufficient class test.

Common Mistakes

Using the -ede ending (Group 1) for Group 2 verbs.
Jeg købede en bil.
Jeg købte en bil.
Learners often over-apply the more common -ede ending. Købe belongs to the -te class; learn købte rather than predicting every verb from its final consonant.
Confusing the past tense (-te) with the past participle (-t).
Jeg har købte en bil.
Jeg har købt en bil.
The past tense is 'købte', but the past participle used with 'have' is 'købt'. Don't add the extra 'e' when using the perfect tense.
Applying -ede to verbs ending in liquid consonants like 'r'.
Jeg lærede dansk.
Jeg lærte dansk.
Lære belongs to the -te class: lærte. R and l are liquids; n is nasal. These labels alone do not predict the past ending.

How It Connects

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

-teLevel 2Past Tense -te

Learn This First

To understand the -te past tense ending, you should first be familiar with how Danish verbs work in the present tense. It is also helpful to have learned the -ede past tense ending first, as -te is the marker for Group 2 verbs, which are typically verbs with a stem ending in a voiceless consonant (p, t, k, s).