have

To Have (Have)

Level 1

have (to have) is one of the most important verbs in Danish. It is used to say you own something (Jeg har en hund) and to form past actions (Jeg har spist).

How It Works

The verb have has several common uses in Danish:

1. Possession: Just like in English, it indicates that you own or possess something.
Example: Jeg har en bog. (I have a book.)

2. Auxiliary (Helper) Verb: It is the default verb used to create the present perfect tense.
Example: Han har set filmen. (He has seen the movie.)
Note: While have is the default, many intransitive verbs use være for a resulting change of state or place (e.g., Jeg er gået). Activity-focused motion can use have: Jeg har gået i en time.

3. Idiomatic Expressions: Danish uses have in several common phrases where English uses "to be".
Examples: Jeg har travlt (I am busy), Du har ret (You are right).

Conjugation Table:

  • Infinitive: at have (to have)
  • Present: har (have/has)
  • Past: havde (had)
  • Past Participle: haft (had)

Pronunciation Tips:
The common pronunciation of havde has no hard d. In har, r affects the vowel rather than necessarily being pronounced as an English r; word stress and connected speech affect the sound. Use the dictionary audio as the model instead of an English spelling approximation.

Examples (5)

  1. Jeg har en rød bil.

    I have a red car.

    Word by Word: I have a red car.

    Here 'har' shows simple possession of an object.

  2. Vi havde en god dag i går.

    We had a good day yesterday.

    Word by Word: We had a good day in yesterday.

    This uses the past tense 'havde'. Remember the 'd' is silent!

  3. Hun har boet i København i to år.

    She has lived in Copenhagen for two years.

    Word by Word: She has lived in Copenhagen in two years.

    In this sentence, 'har' acts as a helper verb to form the present perfect tense.

  4. Har du tid nu?

    Do you have time now?

    Word by Word: Have you time now?

    In questions, the verb 'har' comes first.

  5. Jeg har haft travlt.

    I have been busy.

    Word by Word: I have had busy.

    This uses the past participle 'haft' to show a state that has existed up until now.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'have' to state your age.

    Jeg har 20 år.
    Jeg er 20 år gammel.

    In English, we say 'I am 20', but in some other languages, they use 'have'. In Danish, you must use the verb være (to be) for age.

  • Pronouncing the 'd' in 'havde'.

    hav-de (with a hard d)
    havde (without a hard d)

    Ordinary Danish havde does not contain an English-style hard d. Listen for the whole reduced word rather than pronouncing each written letter.

  • Using 'har' for all perfect tense verbs.

    Jeg har kommet hjem.
    Jeg er kommet hjem.

    Komme hjem in the arrival sense takes er. Auxiliary choice depends on the verb and meaning, not all motion verbs indiscriminately.

How It Connects

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haveLevel 1To Have (Have)

Learn This First

To understand the verb 'have', you first need to know how to identify subjects using pronouns and where to place the verb in a basic Danish sentence.

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Words in This Pattern

have