Spørgeordet

Spørgeordet is the Danish term for the set of interrogative words used to form questions. It encompasses words such as hvem (who), hvad (what), hvilken (which), hvor (where), hvornår (when), hvorfor (why), hvordan (how), and constructions like hvor meget and hvor mange (how much/how many). Together these words allow speakers to specify the type of information being sought and to shape the focus of a question.

In syntax, spørgeordet typically occupies the fronted position in direct questions, with the verb following the questioned word and often preceding the subject, for example Hvem købte bogen? and Hvad spiser du? In longer questions and in certain tenses, auxiliary verbs may appear before the main verb, but the question word remains a central element that determines what is being asked. Spørgeordet can also introduce indirect questions embedded in a larger sentence, as in Jeg ved ikke, hvem der købte bogen (I don’t know who bought the book).

Some spørgeord can take flexible functions in different contexts. For example, hvem can function as a pronoun referring to people, while hvilket/hvilke can function as determiners or pronouns depending on the noun they modify. In older or more formal Danish, spørgeordet’s forms can appear in relative clauses as well, though modern usage tends to prefer som or der for relative linking.

Etymologically, spørgeordet is built from spørge (to ask) plus ord (word), and the definite form krævet here, spørgeordet, denotes the concept of “the question word.” The category is a standard part of Danish grammar and is comparable to interrogative word systems in many languages.