virkede

Virkede is the Danish past tense form of the verb virke. The verb virke has two primary senses in Danish: to function or operate, and to seem or appear. Virkede is used when describing something that operated in the past, or when noting that something appeared to be a certain way.

In the sense of functioning, virkede corresponds to “worked” or “functioned.” Examples include Det virkede ikke, which means “That didn’t work” or “That didn’t seem to function.” In the sense of appearing or seeming, virkede can introduce a perception of past events, as in Det virkede som om alle var til stede, meaning “It seemed as if everyone was present.”

Grammatical notes: Virke is a common Danish verb with these core uses forming a flexible set of expressions for past events. In Danish, virkede is the standard past tense form. In comparison, Norwegian Bokmål typically uses virket for past tense forms of the equivalent verb, while Swedish uses verkade for the corresponding past tense of verka.

Etymology and related forms: Virke is closely related to cognates in other Scandinavian languages, such as Swedish verka and Norwegian virke, all arising from common Germanic roots. The past tense endings differ by language, but the core idea of “to work/appear” remains shared across Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish. See also virke, the present-tense form, and related phrases that express effectiveness or perception in everyday Danish.