Conjunctions are the words that glue clauses together — and, but, because, when, if, that. In Danish, the most useful way to organise them is not by meaning but by their grammatical effect: does the conjunction change the word order of the clause it introduces, or not? On that single question hangs a real, practical difference, because Danish puts certain words (like ikke, "not") in different places depending on the answer. Sort your conjunctions into the two families below and you will get word order right far more often.
The two families
Coordinating conjunctions join two clauses of equal rank. They are syntactically transparent — the clause after them keeps ordinary main-clause word order. The core five:
og (and) · men (but) · eller (or) · for (because/for) · så (so)
Subordinating conjunctions introduce a subordinate (dependent) clause — one that leans on a main clause to be complete. They impose subordinate word order on the clause they introduce. The common ones:
at (that) · fordi (because) · da (when/as, past) · når (when, recurring/future) · hvis (if) · selvom (even though) · mens (while) · om (whether)
The one rule that makes the distinction worth learning
In a Danish main clause, a sentence adverb such as ikke ("not"), altid ("always"), or aldrig ("never") comes after the finite verb:
Han kommer ikke. — "He isn't coming." (verb, then ikke)
In a Danish subordinate clause, that same adverb jumps to before the finite verb:
...fordi han ikke kommer. — "...because he isn't coming." (ikke, then verb)
That flip — ikke after the verb in main clauses, before the verb in subordinate clauses — is the single most important consequence of the conjunction split. It is the reason learning the two families pays off.
Coordinating: word order stays put
After a coordinator, the clause looks exactly like an independent sentence. Compare the standalone sentence with the coordinated version — nothing moves:
Han kommer ikke.
He isn't coming.
Hun ringer, men han kommer ikke.
She's calling, but he isn't coming. (after 'men', still 'han kommer ikke')
Jeg er træt, og jeg vil gerne hjem.
I'm tired, and I'd like to go home.
Vi tager afsted nu, for det bliver sent.
We're leaving now, for it's getting late.
In each case the clause introduced by the coordinator keeps subject–verb order and puts any ikke after the verb. The coordinator is just a hinge between two complete thoughts.
Subordinating: word order changes
After a subordinator, the clause becomes dependent and adopts subordinate order — most visibly, sentence adverbs move in front of the finite verb. Watch ikke move:
Jeg ved, at han ikke kommer.
I know that he isn't coming. ('ikke' before the verb 'kommer')
Hun bliver hjemme, fordi hun ikke har det godt.
She's staying home because she isn't feeling well. ('ikke' before 'har')
Hvis du ikke skynder dig, kommer vi for sent.
If you don't hurry, we'll be late. ('ikke' before 'skynder')
Jeg ringer, når jeg er færdig.
I'll call when I'm done. (subordinate clause introduced by 'når')
Put the two side by side and the difference is unmistakable:
| Coordinating (men) | Subordinating (fordi) | |
|---|---|---|
| Sentence | Hun ringer, men han kommer ikke. | Hun ringer, fordi han ikke kommer. |
| English | She's calling, but he isn't coming. | She's calling because he isn't coming. |
| Position of ikke | after the verb | before the verb |
This is exactly why for and fordi — both meaning "because" — are not interchangeable in terms of grammar: for is coordinating (han kommer ikke) and fordi is subordinating (han ikke kommer). Same meaning, different machinery.
Why this is unfamiliar to English speakers
English does have coordinating and subordinating conjunctions too, but the distinction barely affects word order — "He isn't coming" stays "he isn't coming" whether you put but or because in front of it. So English speakers have no instinct that a conjunction could move the negation. Danish (like German and the other Scandinavian languages) does exactly that, and ignoring it produces sentences that are immediately recognisable as foreign. Training yourself to ask "is this clause subordinate?" — and if so, to slide ikke in front of the verb — is one of the highest-value habits at A1.
Common Mistakes
❌ Jeg ved, at han kommer ikke.
Incorrect — 'at' is subordinating, so 'ikke' must come before the verb.
✅ Jeg ved, at han ikke kommer.
I know that he isn't coming.
❌ Hun bliver hjemme, fordi hun har det ikke godt.
Incorrect — after subordinating 'fordi', 'ikke' goes before the verb 'har'.
✅ Hun bliver hjemme, fordi hun ikke har det godt.
She's staying home because she isn't feeling well.
❌ Hun ringer, men han ikke kommer.
Incorrect — 'men' is coordinating, so the clause keeps main-clause order: 'han kommer ikke'.
✅ Hun ringer, men han kommer ikke.
She's calling, but he isn't coming.
❌ Hvis du skynder dig ikke, kommer vi for sent.
Incorrect — 'hvis' is subordinating; 'ikke' must precede the verb: 'hvis du ikke skynder dig'.
✅ Hvis du ikke skynder dig, kommer vi for sent.
If you don't hurry, we'll be late.
The errors run in both directions, and both come from the same blind spot. English speakers either forget to move ikke forward after a subordinator (the first two), or over-apply the rule and wrongly move it forward after a coordinator (the third). The fix is always to first identify the family of the conjunction, then place ikke accordingly.
Key Takeaways
- Sort Danish conjunctions into coordinating (og, men, eller, for, så) and subordinating (at, fordi, da, når, hvis, selvom, mens, om) — by their grammatical effect, not their meaning.
- After a coordinator, the clause keeps main-clause order: sentence adverbs like ikke come after the verb.
- After a subordinator, the clause takes subordinate order: ikke comes before the verb.
- This is why for and fordi (both "because") behave differently. When in doubt, ask: can this clause stand alone? If not, it's subordinate, and ikke moves forward.
Now practice Danish
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Start learning Danish→Related Topics
- Coordinating Conjunctions: Og, Men, Eller, For, SåA1 — The five Danish coordinators join clauses of equal rank without changing word order — plus the for vs fordi 'because' contrast and the og/at homophone trap.
- Conjunctions of Cause and Reason: Fordi, Da, EftersomA2 — How to give reasons in Danish — fordi for the default 'because', da and eftersom for a known reason, and how they differ from the coordinating for.
- Word Order After Each ConjunctionB2 — A lookup table mapping every common Danish conjunction to the word order it triggers — main-clause V2 after coordinators, subordinate order after subordinators.
- Subordinate-Clause Word OrderB1 — Danish subordinate clauses follow a different template from main clauses: no V2 inversion, and sentence adverbs like ikke come before the finite verb, not after it.
- Inversion After a Fronted ElementA1 — Whenever a non-subject opens a Danish main clause — an adverb, object, prepositional phrase, or subordinate clause — the verb stays second and the subject moves behind it.
- Ikke: Placement and ScopeA1 — Where 'not' goes in Danish — after the finite verb in main clauses but before it in subordinate clauses — plus its scope, object shift, and how it negates single constituents.