gøre

Gøre is a Danish verb meaning "to do" or "to make." It is one of the most common verbs in Danish and is used across a wide range of actions and idioms, from performing tasks to producing results. The infinitive is at gøre, and many constructions rely on this base form. In imperative form, the verb becomes gør, as in Gør det! (Do it!).

Etymology and cognates: Gøre originates in Old Danish gjøre and has cognates in other Scandinavian languages, notably Norwegian gjere/gjøre and Swedish göra. The core meaning remains closely aligned with the English verb “to do” and related Germanic roots.

Conjugation and forms: In present tense, the form is gør (for all persons: jeg gør, du gør, han/hun gør, vi gør, I gør, de gør). The simple past tense is gjorde. The supine or past participle is gjort, used with have in perfect tenses (jeg har gjort, han har gjort). The passive present is gøres (det gøres), while the past passive is typically formed with the auxiliary blivet or blev (det blev gjort). The infinitive is at gøre.

Usage and examples: Gøre governs both concrete actions and abstract results. It commonly pairs with nombåned objects: gøre noget (do something), gøre en forskel (make a difference), gøre sig gældende (assert oneself), gøre rent (clean), gøre klar (prepare), gøre opmærksom på (draw attention to). Fixed expressions include gøres bekendt med (to make known) and gøre noget ved noget (to do something about something). Examples: Hvad gør du? Jeg gør det senere. Det gør jeg. Det gjorde jeg i går. Det har gjort en forskel.

See also: Cognate verbs in Scandinavian languages and related Danish phrasal constructions.