Expressing "since" with da
In Danish, the conjunction da means "since" or "because". It introduces a known cause or reason, primarily in past contexts.
| The government was nervous since the war was long. | Regeringen var nervøs da krigen var lang. |
| The queen got the power back since the army won the war. | Dronningen fik magten tilbage da hæren vandt krigen. |
Starting a sentence with a causal clause
da introduces a dependent clause. You can place this clause at the beginning of a sentence to emphasize the cause.
Remember the V2 (verb-second) rule: if the dependent clause occupies the first position, the main clause immediately following it must invert its subject and verb.
| Since the king was sick, the government took the power. | Da kongen var syg, tog regeringen magten. |
| Since the queen loved the country, she celebrated the victory. | Da dronningen elskede landet, fejrede hun sejren. |
| Since the enemy attacked, the king defended the castle. | Da fjenden angreb, forsvarede kongen slottet. |
Word order with ikke
In dependent clauses, adverbs like ikke (not) are placed before the verb. This rule applies whether the dependent clause comes first or second.
| Since the army was not here, the enemy attacked the city. | Da hæren ikke var her, angreb fjenden byen. |
| The king lost the power since he did not trust the army. | Kongen mistede magten da han ikke stolede på hæren. |
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