Here is the surprise that catches every English speaker: Danish usually does not say a thing "is" somewhere. Instead it says the thing lies, stands, sits, or hangs there. A book on a table ligger (lies); a glass in a cupboard står (stands); a picture on a wall hænger (hangs). These posture verbs are not poetic flourishes — they are the normal, everyday way to locate objects. This page shows you which verb goes with which kind of object, how to add a place, and how to say "there is/are" with der er.
The four posture verbs
The verb you choose depends on the shape and orientation of the object:
| Verb (present) | Literal sense | Use for… | Example object |
|---|---|---|---|
| ligger (ligge) | lies | flat / horizontal things, and towns/places | a book, a phone, a towel |
| står (stå) | stands | upright things with a base | a glass, a bottle, a lamp |
| sidder (sidde) | sits | things fixed/stuck in place | a button, a key in a lock, a stain |
| hænger (hænge) | hangs | hanging things | a picture, a coat, a clock |
Each present-tense form takes the same shape for every subject — bogen ligger, bøgerne ligger — so there is no person agreement to worry about.
Flat things lie — ligger
Bogen ligger på bordet.
The book is (lying) on the table.
Min telefon ligger i tasken.
My phone is in the bag.
A book, a piece of paper, a phone resting flat — anything more horizontal than vertical — ligger. Towns and countries also ligger: København ligger i Danmark ("Copenhagen is in Denmark").
Upright things stand — står
Glasset står i skabet.
The glass is (standing) in the cupboard.
Der står en lampe ved sofaen.
There's a lamp by the sofa.
A glass, a bottle, a lamp — anything resting on a base, taller than it is wide — står.
Fixed things sit — sidder
Nøglen sidder i låsen.
The key is (sitting) in the lock.
A sidder object is wedged, stuck, or fastened in place. This is the least common of the four for beginners, but you meet it with keys, buttons, and stains.
Hanging things hang — hænger
Billedet hænger på væggen.
The picture is (hanging) on the wall.
Min jakke hænger i skabet.
My jacket is hanging in the wardrobe.
Anything suspended — a picture, a coat on a hook, a clock — hænger.
Place prepositions
After the verb comes the place, introduced by a small preposition. The four you need most at A1:
| Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| i | in | i skabet (in the cupboard) |
| på | on | på bordet (on the table) |
| under | under | under sengen (under the bed) |
| ved | by / next to | ved døren (by the door) |
Note that the place noun is in its definite form here — bordet ("the table"), not et bord — because you're pointing at a specific, known location. The choice between i and på does not always match English in/on, so it is worth a closer look on its own page; for now, learn each phrase as a unit.
Skoene står under sengen.
The shoes are under the bed.
Bilen holder ved døren.
The car is parked by the door.
"There is / there are" — der er
To introduce something new into the scene — the English "there is a…" — Danish uses der er (literally "there is"). Use it when the thing is new information; use a posture verb when you're locating a known thing. Often the two combine, with the posture verb replacing er: der ligger, der står, der hænger.
Der er en kat i haven.
There's a cat in the garden.
Der står et glas på bordet.
There's a glass (standing) on the table.
Der hænger en frakke ved døren.
There's a coat hanging by the door.
Danish has no separate word for "are" here — der er covers both "there is" and "there are". Plurality lives in the noun, not the verb: der er to katte ("there are two cats").
Building it up: simplest to fuller
Bogen ligger her.
The book is here.
Bogen ligger på bordet.
The book is on the table.
Den røde bog ligger på bordet i køkkenet.
The red book is on the table in the kitchen.
Each step keeps ligger anchored and just stacks on more detail — a place, then a place-within-a-place.
Substitution table
Match an object to its natural posture verb, then add a place.
| Subject (object) | Posture verb | Place |
|---|---|---|
| Bogen | ligger | på bordet |
| Glasset | står | i skabet |
| Billedet | hænger | på væggen |
| Nøglen | sidder | i låsen |
Read across each row: Bogen ligger på bordet. / Glasset står i skabet. / Billedet hænger på væggen. / Nøglen sidder i låsen.
A note on word order
These sentences keep the verb in second position (the V2 habit): Bogen — ligger — på bordet. With der er / der står, the word der fills the first slot and the verb still comes second, with the new thing pushed to the end: Der — står — et glas på bordet. If you front the place for emphasis, the verb stays glued to second place and the subject moves behind it: På bordet ligger der en bog ("On the table lies a book").
Common Mistakes
❌ Bogen er på bordet.
Understandable but unnatural — Danish locates a flat object with 'ligger'.
✅ Bogen ligger på bordet.
The book is on the table.
Er isn't wrong grammar, but to a Dane it sounds incomplete or childlike for a physical location. Reach for the posture verb.
❌ Glasset ligger i skabet.
Incorrect — an upright glass stands, it doesn't lie.
✅ Glasset står i skabet.
The glass is in the cupboard.
Posture must match the object. A glass on its base står; it only ligger if it has fallen over.
❌ Billedet står på væggen.
Incorrect — something on a wall hangs.
✅ Billedet hænger på væggen.
The picture is on the wall.
Anything suspended from a wall or hook hænger.
❌ Det er en kat i haven.
Incorrect — 'there is' is 'der er', not 'det er'.
✅ Der er en kat i haven.
There's a cat in the garden.
Det er means "it/that is" (identifying something); der er means "there is/are" (introducing something). English there maps to der, not det.
❌ Skoene står under en seng.
Unnatural — a known location takes the definite form.
✅ Skoene står under sengen.
The shoes are under the bed.
When you point at a specific spot, the place noun is definite: sengen, bordet, skabet.
Key Takeaways
- Danish locates objects with posture verbs, not er: flat → ligger, upright → står, stuck → sidder, hanging → hænger.
- The place follows the verb and is usually definite: på bordet, i skabet.
- der er = "there is/are" for new things; one form covers singular and plural.
- der er (there is) and det er (it/that is) are different — don't swap them.
Now practice Danish
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Danish→Related Topics
- LiggeA1 — Full reference for ligge ('to lie / be located') — principal parts, all core tenses in natural sentences, the strong past lå, and the notorious ligge/lægge split that trips up every learner.
- StåA2 — Full reference for the strong verb stå ('to stand'), and the daily idiom der står for 'it says (in writing)'.
- HængeB1 — Full reference for hænge — the classic Danish verb that is strong when it means 'be hanging' but weak when it means 'hang something up'.
- I vs På: In vs On (and Places)A2 — The notorious Danish split between i (in/inside, enclosed) and på (on a surface, but also 'at' many institutions and islands) — why English in/on/at doesn't map, and how to learn each place as a fixed pair.
- Saying 'There Is/Are': Der-sentencesA2 — How to announce that something exists in Danish with der er, der kommer, and der står — no number agreement, plus question and negative variants and a substitution table to build your own.