hænges

Hænges is a Danish verb form that appears primarily as the passive infinitive of hænge, meaning to hang. It denotes a passive action without naming the doer and is most often found in formal or written Danish, such as instructions, signage, or architectural and administrative texts. The active present tense of hænge is hænger (he/she/it hangs), while the past participle is hængt.

In modern usage, the passive can be expressed in two common ways. One is the passive infinitive with no finite subject: Det skal hænges op. Another is the passive construction formed with the auxiliary bliva or blive plus a past participle in some contexts, but in everyday language the bare passive infinitive hænges is frequently used in formal writing: Skiltet hænges op ved indgangen. This reflects a tendency in Danish to use passive forms in official or instructional prose to focus on the action rather than the agent.

Etymology traces hænge to Old Danish and further back to the broader Germanic roots shared with other Scandinavian languages. In spoken Danish, speakers more often use active voice or the standard passive with bliver or bliver op: Det bliver hængt op eller Skiltet bliver hængt op ved indgangen, depending on register.

Notes and related forms: Hænges is distinct from hænger (present active) and hængt (past participle). In many everyday contexts, Danish speakers prefer active constructions or the periphrastic passive with bliver, but hænges remains a recognized form in formal or instructional Danish.