verbet

Verbet is the Danish term for the word class known in English as the verb. In Danish grammar, verbet denotes a word that expresses an action, an event, or a state and functions as the predicate in a clause. It is a core element of the sentence, interacting with subjects, objects, and other modifiers.

Morphology and tense

Danish verbs inflect for tense but not for person or number. The present tense is typically formed by adding a small ending or by a stem change in some verbs. The past tense (preterite) can involve vowel changes in strong verbs or endings like -ede or -te in weak verbs. The perfect aspect is formed with an auxiliary verb, usually har (have) or occasionally er, combined with the past participle of the main verb (for example, jeg har spist, she has gone). The passive voice is formed with a participle together with an auxiliary such as blive or være (for example, bogen blev læst). Non-finite forms include the infinitive, usually introduced by at (at spise), and participles that may function as adjectives or in other periphrastic constructions.

Subclasses

Verbet is traditionally categorized into regular (svage) and irregular (stærke) verbs. Weak verbs follow predictable patterns in their past tense and participles, while strong verbs exhibit vowel changes or irregular forms. The language also relies on auxiliary and modal verbs to express tense, mood, and modality.

Syntax and usage

In main clauses, the finite verb typically appears in second position (V2 order) after a fronted element. Verbet combines with auxiliary and modal verbs to form compound tenses and voices. Imperatives use the base form of the verb, and infinitives are introduced with at.

See also

Danish grammar, verb conjugation, passive voice, Danish syntax.