Yes/No Questions
In Danish, you turn a statement into a yes/no question by moving the verb to the very beginning of the sentence.
How It Works
For a neutral yes/no interrogative in Danish, use this pattern:
- The Verb Comes First: The conjugated verb moves to the first position in the sentence.
- The Subject Follows: The subject (the person or thing doing the action) comes immediately after the verb.
- No 'Do-Support': In English, we say 'Do you speak Danish?'. In Danish, you simply say 'Speak you Danish?' (Taler du dansk?).
- Auxiliary Verbs: If there is a modal verb like kan (can) or vil (will), only that verb moves to the front. The main verb follows the subject.
- Answering Negative Questions: If someone asks a negative question (e.g., 'Can't you swim?'), use the response particles to make your meaning explicit rather than transferring English yes mechanically. A plain ja is not the clear model for contradicting the negative. Use jo to contradict the question (meaning 'Yes, I can') and use nej to agree with the negative (meaning 'No, I can't').
- Natural Short Answers: To sound more natural than just saying 'ja' or 'nej', Danes often add a short phrase like Ja, det er jeg (Yes, I am) or Nej, det gør jeg ikke (No, I don't). These usually follow the pattern: Yes/No + det + finite verb + subject (+ ikke) (like er, har, or gør).
Note that Danish intonation is often flatter than English; the word order itself tells the listener it is a question.
Negation and short answers: Kommer du ikke? (are you not coming?) places ikke after the subject; with a modal, Kan du ikke komme? puts it before the infinitive. To contradict the negative, answer Jo, det gør jeg or Jo, det kan jeg; to confirm it, Nej, det gør jeg ikke or Nej, det kan jeg ikke. In short answers repeat er, har or a modal when appropriate: Er du klar? Ja, det er jeg; Har du spist? Ja, det har jeg. For most other verbs use gør: Taler du dansk? Ja, det gør jeg.
Examples (5)
- Taler du dansk?
Do you speak Danish?
Word by Word: Speak you Danish?
The verb 'taler' moves to the front, followed by the subject 'du'.
- Er du træt?
Are you tired?
Word by Word: Are you tired?
Using the verb være (to be) in the first position.
- Vil du have en kop kaffe?
Would you like a cup of coffee?
Word by Word: Will you have a cup [of] coffee?
When using a modal verb like 'vil', it takes the first position.
- Har han en bil?
Does he have a car?
Word by Word: Has he a car?
The verb have (to have) starts the question.
- Kommer de i morgen?
Are they coming tomorrow?
Word by Word: Come they tomorrow?
Even for continuous actions ('are coming'), Danish uses the simple present tense verb at the start.
Common Mistakes
Using 'do-support' (translating 'do' literally).
Gør du tale dansk?Taler du dansk?Danish does not insert gøre as English-style do-support before an infinitive. Gøre can still be the lexical verb or a substitute for an earlier action; Gør du det? is a valid question.
Using statement word order with rising intonation.
Different MeaningDu kommer i morgen?Kommer du i morgen?Du kommer i morgen? is a grammatical confirmation or echo question in conversation. For a neutral request for information, use verb-first Kommer du i morgen?; the difference is conversational function.
Answering a negative question with 'ja' to mean 'yes'.
Different MeaningKan du ikke svømme? Ja!Kan du ikke svømme? Jo!When a question contains a negation like ikke, jo is the clear way to contradict it and say 'Yes, I can'. A plain 'ja' can be heard as agreeing with the negative. 'Nej' is used if you agree with the negative (for example, 'No, I can't').
How It Connects
Learn This First
To form yes/no questions in Danish, you need to understand basic word order to perform the inversion, as well as have a grasp of subject pronouns and present tense verb conjugation to build the actual sentences.
Related Patterns
- Verb-Second Word Order
Yes/no questions are a specific application of Danish verb-second logic where the first slot is used by the verb.
Level 2 - ja/nejYes and No
These are the standard words used to answer yes/no questions.
Level 1 - joJo (Yes After a Negative Question)
Used specifically to answer 'yes' to a question phrased negatively.
Level 1 - Question Word Questions
Information questions also use inversion, but start with a question word like 'hvad' or 'hvor'.
Level 1 - ikkeNegation with Ikke
Used to form negative questions, which changes how you answer them.
Level 1 - kanCan (Kan)
A common modal verb used at the start of questions to ask about ability or permission.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice Yes/No Questions in Bubblegum
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