Nyde | Danish Grammar

Nyde ("to enjoy, to savour") is a strong verb in the y–ø class — nyde → nød → nydt — the same vowel switch you see in byde / bød / budt and skyde / skød / skudt. It has no direct English cognate that helps, but it has a meaning English does not separate cleanly: nyde is the active enjoyment of something while it happens — savouring a coffee, a view, a moment — as opposed to merely liking something in the abstract. Getting that distinction right is the single most useful thing on this page.

Principal parts

Form	Danish	English
Infinitive	(at) nyde	to enjoy / savour
Present	nyder	enjoy(s)
Past	nød	enjoyed
Past participle	nydt	enjoyed
Imperative	nyd!	enjoy!

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Nyde is strong with the y–ø pattern: present y (nyder), past ø (nød), and a participle in -dt (nydt). The same y → ø switch runs through byde / bød / budt and skyde / skød / skudt — see the Strong past tense overview.

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No agreement: nyder is the whole present for every subject, nød the whole past. Mind the ø in the past — nød is spelled with ø, never o.

Present: nyder

Subject	Form	Example
jeg	nyder	jeg nyder min morgenkaffe i ro
du	nyder	du nyder tydeligvis solen
han / hun	nyder	hun nyder hvert øjeblik
vi	nyder	vi nyder godt af aftalen
de	nyder	de nyder livet på pension

Jeg nyder lige min kaffe — kom om fem minutter.

I'm just savouring my coffee — come back in five minutes.

Hun nyder tydeligvis at have fri i dag.

She's clearly enjoying having the day off.

Past: nød

Vi nød hvert eneste øjeblik af ferien i Norge.

We savoured every single moment of the holiday in Norway.

Han nød stilheden, før børnene vågnede.

He enjoyed the quiet before the children woke up.

Present perfect: har nydt

The perfect is har nydt — nyde is a transitive, agentive verb (you do the enjoying), so it takes har, never være.

Vi har virkelig nydt at bo her i Aarhus.

We've really enjoyed living here in Aarhus.

Har du nydt din ferie?

Have you enjoyed your holiday?

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Auxiliary: always har nydt — never er. And note the spelling: the participle is nydt (with y), even though the past nød has ø. The vowels differ between past and participle.

Imperative: nyd!

Nyd nu turen — du har fortjent det!

Enjoy the trip — you've earned it!

Collocations and the noun family

nyde livet — to enjoy life
nyde godt af (noget) — to benefit from something, reap the benefit of it
nyde en kop kaffe / et glas vin — to enjoy a cup of coffee / a glass of wine
nyde godt af tvivlen — set phrase: nyde godt af is the everyday way to say "benefit from"

Hele kvarteret nyder godt af den nye legeplads.

The whole neighbourhood benefits from the new playground.

Vi nød godt af, at han kendte ejeren.

We benefited from the fact that he knew the owner.

The verb has a productive noun family, and one member is a classic false friend:

nydelse (en) — pleasure, enjoyment — en ren nydelse ("a sheer pleasure").
nydelig (adj.) — here the meaning has drifted: it does not mean "enjoyable." It means "neat, tidy, pretty, presentable" — en nydelig lille have ("a neat little garden"). Don't assume nydelig relates to nyde's meaning; the connection is historical, not current.

Det var en ren nydelse at høre hende synge.

It was a sheer pleasure to hear her sing.

De har en nydelig lille have bag huset.

They have a neat little garden behind the house.

nyde vs kunne lide vs glæde sig over

This is the heart of the page. English "enjoy" and "like" both bleed into this area, but Danish keeps three ideas apart:

nyde — to actively savour something as it is happening. You nyde the coffee in front of you, the concert you are at, this afternoon. It is sensory and in-the-moment.
kunne lide — to like something in general, as a standing preference. Jeg kan godt lide kaffe = "I like coffee" (as a thing). It says nothing about this cup right now. See Kunne lide.
glæde sig over (noget) — to be pleased about something, to take pleasure in a fact or development. More reflective than sensory.

So jeg nyder kaffe sounds odd as a general statement — you would say jeg kan godt lide kaffe for the preference, and jeg nyder min kaffe for the cup in your hand.

Jeg kan godt lide kaffe, men lige nu nyder jeg den her kop helt særligt.

I like coffee, but right now I'm enjoying this particular cup especially.

Vi glæder os over, at det endelig er blevet sommer.

We're pleased that it's finally become summer.

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Nyde and the cultural concept of hygge sit close together: hygge is partly the art of nyde-ing small, cosy moments. But hygge is a noun and an atmosphere, whereas nyde is the verb of consciously savouring it.

Common mistakes

❌ Vi nydede ferien.

Incorrect — nyde is strong; the past is nød, not the regular -ede form.

✅ Vi nød ferien.

We enjoyed the holiday.

❌ Jeg nyder kaffe.

Odd as a general statement — to say you like coffee as a thing, use kan godt lide. Save nyde for the cup in front of you.

✅ Jeg kan godt lide kaffe.

I like coffee.

❌ Har du nød din ferie?

Wrong form — the perfect needs the participle nydt, not the past nød: Har du nydt din ferie?

✅ Har du nydt din ferie?

Have you enjoyed your holiday?

❌ Hele byen nyder af den nye bro.

Missing godt — the fixed phrase for 'benefit from' is nyde godt af: nyder godt af den nye bro.

✅ Hele byen nyder godt af den nye bro.

The whole town benefits from the new bridge.

❌ Det var en meget nydelig koncert.

Wrong adjective — nydelig means 'neat/pretty', not 'enjoyable'. For a pleasure, say en nydelse.

✅ Det var en ren nydelse at gå til den koncert.

It was a sheer pleasure to go to that concert.

Key takeaways

Nyde / nød / nydt — strong, y–ø, with the participle in -dt.
Perfect is always har nydt; watch the vowels (nød but nydt).
nyde godt af = "benefit from."
Nyde = savour in the moment; kunne lide = like in general; glæde sig over = be pleased about.
Nydelig is a false friend: it means "neat / pretty," not "enjoyable."

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