The 5 most used Danish verbs

What are the 5 most used verbs in the Danish language? The verbs we say over and over and over again, and which are important for you to learn to master the Danish language?

The 5 most used verbs of the Danish language are:

ER – HAR – KAN – SKAL – VIL

ER
means “am”, “is”, “are”:

“Jeg er glad”: I am happy
“Jeg er træt”: I am tired

HAR
means “have”, “has”

“Jeg har to børn”: I have two children
“Jeg har også en skøn lejlighed”: I also have a lovely apartment

KAN
is used to express a capability or a possibility. I means “can”.

“Kan jeg hjælpe dig?”: Can I help you?
“Kan du cykle?”: Can you ride a bike?

VIL
you use to express a personal decision. It means “want”.

“Jeg vil lære dansk”: I want to learn Danish.
“Jeg vil bo i Danmark i mange mange år”: I want to live in Denmark for many many years.

Please notice that “vil” does not mean “will”. The words look alike and they sound alike, but they mean two very different things.

Will is translated to…..


SKAL
We use “skal” to express a future intention. It can be something that we are about to do or it can be something far out in the future. It is translated with words as “will”, “go-to”, “plans for”, “should”.

“Jeg skal have en kop kaffe “: I will have a cup of coffee
“Hvad skal du lave i sommerferien?”: What are your plans for the summer break?


Also “skal” can be used to place an order. Then it is translated with words like “have to” or “must”.

“Du skal i seng nu”: You have to go to bed now
“Du skal lytte efter”: You must listen up

Pronunciation

In this last bit, I would like to teach you a little bit of pronunciation. It is important to note that the Danes do not pronounce the last letter of the words “kan”, “skal” and “vil”.

They do not say “skaL” but “ska”, not “kaN” but “ka”, not “viL” but “ve”. And note that the vowel in “vil” changes from “i” to “e”.