Klare is one of the most useful all-purpose verbs in Danish. Its core sense is "to manage / handle / cope / pull off," and it ranges from passing an exam (klare en eksamen) to coping in life (klare sig) to barely making it (klare den). It is a regular weak verb with no surprises in its forms — which means the real work is learning its constructions and idioms, especially the reflexive klare sig.
Principal parts
| Form | Danish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | (at) klare | to manage |
| Present | klarer | manage(s) |
| Past | klarede | managed |
| Past participle | klaret | managed |
| Imperative | klar! | manage! / handle (it)! |
Klare belongs to the large class of weak verbs that form the past tense in -ede and the participle in -et. There is no vowel change and no irregularity.
Perfect tense: have, not være
The perfect uses the auxiliary have (har klaret), not være. This is the default for transitive and most intransitive verbs in Danish; være is reserved for verbs of motion and change of state (er kommet, er rejst, er blevet). Because klare describes an accomplishment rather than a movement, it always takes have.
Hun har klaret alle prøverne uden problemer.
She has passed all the tests without any trouble.
Vi havde allerede klaret det hele, da chefen kom.
We had already handled everything by the time the boss arrived.
Transitive use: manage / handle a task
In its basic transitive use, klare takes a direct object — a task, a problem, a challenge — and means to manage or get it done.
Bare rolig, jeg klarer opgaven selv.
Don't worry, I'll handle the task myself.
Kan du klare at bære det hele alene?
Can you manage to carry it all on your own?
Han klarede eksamen med et flot resultat.
He passed the exam with an excellent result.
Notice that klare can take either a noun object (klare opgaven) or an infinitive clause (klare at bære).
The reflexive: klare sig — to cope, get by, do well
This is the construction learners most often miss, and it changes the meaning. Klare sig (literally "manage oneself") means to cope, get by, or do well — to manage in general, with no specific object. The reflexive pronoun changes with the subject: jeg klarer *mig, du klarer dig, han/hun klarer sig, vi klarer os, I klarer jer, de klarer sig*.
Hvordan klarer du dig på det nye arbejde?
How are you getting on at the new job?
Børnene klarer sig fint, mens vi er væk.
The children are doing fine while we're away.
Jeg skal nok klare mig — du behøver ikke bekymre dig.
I'll be all right — you don't need to worry.
Idioms and collocations
Klare den — "to make it / pull through." A fixed idiom with den as a frozen object, used for surviving, succeeding, or barely getting through something.
Det var tæt på, men vi klarede den.
It was close, but we made it.
Klar! (as an adjective, distinct from the imperative) — "ready," and in the exclamation Klart! "sure! / of course!" This is the adjective klar ("clear, ready"), not the verb, but the overlap is worth flagging.
Skal vi mødes klokken otte? — Klart, det lyder godt!
Shall we meet at eight? — Sure, sounds good!
Other common collocations: klare sig selv (manage on one's own), klare ærterne (informal: "sort it out / handle the business"), klare et problem (deal with a problem).
Klare vs lykkes — manage vs succeed
Both can translate "manage / succeed," but they are built differently. Klare is an ordinary verb with a normal subject and object: jeg klarer det. Lykkes is impersonal and takes the experiencer in a for-phrase: det lykkes for mig at... ("I manage / succeed in..."). Use klare when there is an agent actively handling something; use lykkes to frame success as something that "comes off" for someone. See verb-reference/lykkes.
Det lykkedes mig at klare opgaven til tiden.
I managed to get the task done on time. (both verbs, each in its own frame)
Common mistakes
❌ Hvordan klarer du på det nye arbejde?
Incorrect — the reflexive 'dig' is missing; this needs 'klare sig'.
✅ Hvordan klarer du dig på det nye arbejde?
Correct — 'How are you getting on at the new job?'
❌ Jeg er klaret det hele selv.
Incorrect — wrong auxiliary; klare takes 'have', not 'være'.
✅ Jeg har klaret det hele selv.
Correct — 'I've handled it all myself.'
❌ Det klarede mig at finde en løsning.
Incorrect — for 'I managed to', use the impersonal 'lykkes' frame, not 'klare' with this structure.
✅ Det lykkedes mig at finde en løsning.
Correct — 'I managed to find a solution.' (Or: 'Jeg klarede at finde en løsning.')
❌ Hun klarte eksamen i går.
Incorrect spelling — the past tense is the weak -ede form 'klarede', not 'klarte'.
✅ Hun klarede eksamen i går.
Correct — 'She passed the exam yesterday.'
Key takeaways
- Klare is a regular weak verb: klarer / klarede / klaret, with no person agreement and the perfect with have (har klaret).
- The transitive klare
- object/infinitive means "handle / manage / pass" a specific thing.
- The reflexive klare sig (with mig/dig/sig/os/jer) means "cope / get by / do well" — missing the reflexive is the classic error.
- Know the idioms klare den ("make it / pull through") and the adjective klart! ("sure!"), and keep klare distinct from impersonal lykkes.
Now practice Danish
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Start learning Danish→Related Topics
- LykkesB1 — How to use the deponent -s verb lykkes ('to succeed'), why it is impersonal (det lykkedes mig at...), and how it fits the family of -s deponent verbs.
- Reflexive VerbsA2 — Inherently reflexive Danish verbs that always need sig/mig/dig — glæde sig, skynde sig, sætte sig, føle sig, gifte sig, more sig, lægge sig — and how they differ from reciprocals.
- PasseB2 — Full reference for the many-sided passe — fit/suit, look after, match, tend, and the idiom det passer ('that's true') — with the right particle for each sense and the regular -ede past.