Slippe is a strong verb whose core idea is release — letting go of something you were holding, or getting free of something that was holding you. From that single idea radiate a whole family of high-frequency phrasal meanings: let go, release, escape, get away, get rid of, be spared, run out of. It is one of the verbs that separates intermediate from advanced learners, because each particle (af med, for, væk, op) twists the meaning in a way you cannot guess from the base verb alone. The vowel pattern — slippe → slap → sluppet — has the same shape as English slip would if it were strong, and the rounded u of the participle is the form to watch.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Present | Past | Past participle | Imperative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (at) slippe | slipper | slap | sluppet | slip |
The vowels run i → a → u: slippe / slipper (i), slap (a), sluppet (u). The double consonant -pp- stays through the infinitive and present but reduces to single -p in slap.
Have vs være in the perfect
This verb is a textbook case of Danish's split auxiliary system, so it deserves care.
- For the ordinary transitive sense — letting go of, releasing something — the perfect is built with har: jeg har sluppet hans hånd (I have let go of his hand).
- For the intransitive escape / get away sense, where the subject undergoes a change of state or moves to safety, the perfect typically uses være: han er sluppet væk (he has got away), vi er sluppet godt fra det (we've come out of it well).
Jeg har sluppet rebet, så du kan trække det op nu.
I've let go of the rope, so you can pull it up now. (har — transitive release)
Fangen er sluppet væk i nattens løb.
The prisoner has got away during the night. (være — change of state/motion)
The logic is the same as for gå, komme, and blive: motion and change of state lean toward være; a deliberate act performed on an object takes har.
Let go, release
Slip mig! Du gør ondt på min arm.
Let go of me! You're hurting my arm.
Han slap grenen, og den smældede tilbage.
He let go of the branch and it snapped back.
The imperative slip! (let go!) is everyday spoken Danish — a parent will say it to a child, and Slip mig! (let go of me!) is the standard cry.
Slippe af med — get rid of
Slippe af med nogen/noget means to get rid of someone or something — to be free of an unwanted presence or possession.
Hvordan slipper jeg af med de her myrer i køkkenet?
How do I get rid of these ants in the kitchen?
Vi blev endelig af med den gamle bil.
We finally got rid of the old car.
Slippe for — be spared, avoid
Slippe for noget means to be spared something, to avoid an unwelcome obligation — to escape having to do it. This is one of the most useful and most mistranslated idioms in the language.
Jeg slap for at betale, fordi min ven havde inviteret.
I got out of paying because my friend had invited me.
Hvis du gør det nu, slipper du for at gøre det i morgen.
If you do it now, you'll be spared having to do it tomorrow.
Slippe væk and slippe op (for)
Slippe væk = to get away, escape. Slippe op (for) = to run out (of) — to reach the point where a supply is exhausted.
Tyven slap væk, før politiet nåede frem.
The thief got away before the police arrived.
Vi er ved at slippe op for mælk — kan du købe noget?
We're running out of milk — can you buy some?
Slippe for vs slippe af med
These two look alike and confuse learners constantly, but they pull in opposite directions:
- Slippe for = be spared / avoid an obligation or unpleasant event. You escape having to do something.
- Slippe af med = get rid of an unwanted thing or person already in your possession or presence.
Jeg slap for opvasken i aften.
I got out of doing the dishes tonight. (avoided the task)
Jeg vil gerne slippe af med alle de her gamle bøger.
I'd like to get rid of all these old books. (dispose of the things)
Common Mistakes
❌ Han slippede min hånd.
Incorrect — slippe is strong; the past is slap, not slippede.
✅ Han slap min hånd.
He let go of my hand.
The regular -ede past is wrong here. The past is slap, the participle sluppet.
❌ Jeg slap af med at vaske op.
Wrong idiom — being spared a task is slippe for, not slippe af med.
✅ Jeg slap for at vaske op.
I got out of doing the dishes.
To avoid / be spared an obligation, use slippe for. Slippe af med would mean get rid of, which doesn't fit a task you simply dodged.
❌ Fangen har sluppet væk.
Off — the escape sense takes være, not har.
✅ Fangen er sluppet væk.
The prisoner has got away.
For the intransitive escape sense (change of state, motion to freedom), the perfect uses være: er sluppet væk.
❌ Vi slipper ud for mælk.
Incorrect particle — running out uses op, not ud.
✅ Vi slipper op for mælk.
We're running out of milk.
Run out of is slippe op for. The particle is op, not ud.
Key Takeaways
- Principal parts: slippe – slap – sluppet (strong). Vowels: i, a, u.
- Perfect with har for release (transitive); være for escape / get away (er sluppet væk).
- Slippe for = be spared a task; slippe af med = get rid of a thing.
- Other key particles: slippe væk (escape), slippe op for (run out of).
Now practice Danish
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Start learning Danish→Related Topics
- Strong Verbs: Ablaut PatternsA2 — Danish strong verbs form their past by changing the stem vowel — learn the major ablaut series as families to turn memorisation into pattern recognition.
- UndgåB2 — How to conjugate and use undgå (to avoid, to evade), a strong verb following the gå pattern.
- Phrasal Verbs and ParticlesB1 — Danish verb + particle combinations, the stress rule that distinguishes a separable phrasal verb from a verb + preposition, and the most common particles and their meanings.