har + Past Participle

Perfect with Har

Level 2

The Perfect with har (førnutid) connects the past to the present. It is formed using the present tense of have (har) followed by the past participle.

How It Works

The Danish perfect tense is very similar to the English 'have + past participle.' It is the most common way to link a past event to the current moment.

1. Formation
To form this tense, you need two parts:

  • The auxiliary verb har (always in the present tense).
  • The past participle (-et/-t).

The participle is invariant when used with har, meaning it does not change based on the subject's gender or number. Note that irregular verbs (strong verbs) often change their stem vowel in the participle form (e.g., 'at skrive' becomes 'skrevet').

2. Word Order with Adverbs
In a main clause, central adverbs like ikke (not) or altid (always) are placed between the auxiliary verb 'har' and the past participle.
Example: 'Jeg har ikke spist' (I have not eaten).

3. When to use it

  • Resultative: The action is finished, but the result is visible now. We often use lige (just) for recent actions, e.g., 'Jeg har lige spist'.
  • Experiential: Something that has happened at some point in your life. (e.g., 'Jeg har været i Aarhus').
  • Unspecified Time: When you don't say when something happened. If you mention a specific time like 'i går' (yesterday), you must use the past tense instead.

4. Har vs. Er
Most verbs use har. Verbs that show a change of state (like 'at vågne') or movement toward a destination (like 'at gå hjem') usually use er.

Crucial Difference: In verbal perfect constructions, use the uninflected participle with har or er: Han er gået and De er gået. Adjectival uses of participles can behave differently, for example de er udmattede is adjective agreement, not a perfect-tense rule. Do not change gået to gåede just because the subject is plural. See Choosing Har Or Er for more details.

Subordinate clauses: Put the sentence adverb before the finite auxiliary: ... fordi jeg ikke har spist (because I have not eaten). Compare main-clause Jeg har ikke spist.

Movement as an activity: Jeg har løbet i en time means I have run for an hour; it focuses on duration. Jeg er løbet hjem means I have run home and presents the change of location. The presence of movement alone does not determine the auxiliary.

Examples (6)

  1. Jeg har købt ind til aftensmad.

    I have bought groceries for dinner.

    Word by Word: I have bought in to evening-meal.

    This shows a resultative perfect: the groceries are now in the house because of the past action.

  2. Jeg har lige spist frokost.

    I have just eaten lunch.

    Word by Word: I have just eaten lunch.

    The word 'lige' (just) is very common with the perfect tense to describe something that happened very recently.

  3. Har du nogensinde prøvet at springe i faldskærm?

    Have you ever tried skydiving?

    Word by Word: Have you ever tried to jump in parachute?

    This is an experiential perfect, asking about a life experience.

  4. Vi har boet i Danmark i tre år.

    We have lived in Denmark for three years.

    Word by Word: We have lived in Denmark in three years.

    In Danish, this implies the state started in the past and is still relevant (and often still true) now.

  5. Han har set den film mange gange.

    He has seen that movie many times.

    Word by Word: He has seen that film many times.

    The specific time isn't important; the focus is on the fact that the action has occurred.

  6. Jeg har løbet i en time.

    I have run for an hour.

    Word by Word: I have run in an hour.

    Even though 'løbe' is a movement verb, we use 'har' here because the focus is on the duration of the activity, not a destination.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the perfect tense with a specific past time marker.

    Jeg har set ham i går.
    Jeg så ham i går.

    If you mention a specific time like 'i går' (yesterday), you must use the simple past tense, not the perfect.

  • Using har when the intended meaning is that something has departed.

    Toget har kørt.
    Toget er kørt.

    Toget er kørt means the train has left. Toget har kørt is also grammatical with an activity reading, for example har kørt hele dagen; it does not express the same departure result.

  • Confusing the past tense form with the participle form.

    Jeg har talte med ham.
    Jeg har talt med ham.

    'Talte' is the simple past tense. After 'har', you must use the participle form 'talt'.

How It Connects

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har + Past ParticipleLevel 2Perfect with Har

Learn This First

To form the perfect tense (førnutid) with 'har', you need to know how to conjugate the auxiliary verb 'have' in the present tense and how to form the past participle of the main verb. Basic word order knowledge is also essential to place these components correctly in a sentence.

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have