om morgenen/om aftenen

Times of Day (Om + Definite)

Level 2

In Danish, to say you do something 'in the morning' or 'in the evening' as a habit, you use the preposition om followed by the noun in its definite form (e.g., om morgenen).

How It Works

To talk about things you usually do at specific times, Danish uses a specific structure:

om + [noun] + definite suffix (-en/-et)

This pattern is used for habitual actions across three main categories:

1. Times of Day
The times of day listed here are common gender (en-words), so these expressions use the -en suffix:

  • om morgenen (in the morning)
  • om formiddagen (in the late morning)
  • om eftermiddagen (in the afternoon)
  • om aftenen (in the evening)
  • om natten (at night)

2. Days of the Week
To say 'on Mondays' or 'every Friday', use the day + -en:

  • om mandagen (on Mondays)
  • om fredagen (on Fridays)

Note: Contrast this with på mandag, which means 'this coming Monday' (a specific event, not a habit).

3. Seasons
Seasons can be common or neuter. This is where the -et suffix appears:

  • om sommeren (in the summer - common)
  • om foråret (in the spring - neuter)
  • om efteråret (in the autumn - neuter)
  • om vinteren (in the winter - common)

If you want to talk about a specific time (like 'this morning'), you would use a different pattern like i morges.

Om + definite time expression can also locate one particular event when the context supplies the day: Vi ankom klokken otte om aftenen (we arrived at eight in the evening). Habit is a common use, not a requirement. Likewise på mandagen can refer to the Monday of an already identified week; it does not express the general weekly habit intended by om mandagen.

Examples (6)

  1. Jeg drikker kaffe om morgenen.

    I drink coffee in the morning.

    Word by Word: I drink coffee about morning-the.

    This describes a daily habit using 'om' + the definite form of 'morgen'.

  2. Hun arbejder ofte om aftenen.

    She often works in the evening.

    Word by Word: She works often about evening-the.

    The word 'ofte' (often) reinforces the habitual nature of this time expression.

  3. Vi svømmer altid om sommeren.

    We always swim in the summer.

    Word by Word: We swim always about summer-the.

    The pattern also applies to seasons. 'Sommer' is a common gender noun, so it takes the -en suffix.

  4. Jeg går til dansk om mandagen.

    I go to Danish (class) on Mondays.

    Word by Word: I go to Danish about Monday-the.

    Using 'om' + a day of the week in the definite form indicates a recurring habit every week.

  5. Blomsterne kommer om foråret.

    The flowers come in the spring.

    Word by Word: Flowers-the come about spring-the.

    'Forår' (spring) is a neuter noun, which is why we use the -et suffix here.

  6. Toget kører klokken otte om morgenen.

    The train leaves at eight in the morning.

    Word by Word: Train-the drives clock-the eight about morning-the.

    Here, the pattern is used to clarify that the time is 8:00 AM.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the indefinite form of the noun.

    Jeg løber om morgen.
    Jeg løber om morgenen.

    In Danish, you must use the definite form (ending in -en or -et) when using 'om' to describe habitual times.

  • Using 'i' instead of 'om' for habits.

    Jeg læser i aftenen.
    Jeg læser om aftenen.

    I aften means tonight. Om aftenen is the usual expression for in the evenings as a habit; i aftenen is not the ordinary time expression in this example.

  • Confusing habitual 'om' with specific 'på' for days.

    Jeg arbejder på mandagen.
    Jeg arbejder om mandagen.

    Use 'om' + definite noun for habits (every Monday). Use på + indefinite noun for a specific upcoming day (this coming Monday).

How It Connects

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

om morgenen/om aftenenLevel 2Times of Day (Om + Definite)

Learn This First

To use 'om morgenen' and similar expressions, you need to understand how the preposition 'om' functions in a temporal context and how to form the definite version of nouns using the correct gender-based suffixes.

Words in This Pattern

om