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Danish

In English, we often use words like "so" or "that" to refer back to an idea we just mentioned, such as saying "I think so" instead of repeating the whole thought. Danish handles this by using the pronoun **det**.

### Substituting a Clause with "det"

When a verb expects an object, but the object is an entire situation or statement, we substitute that statement with **det** to avoid repeating it. 

When **det** is pulled to the front of the clause to link directly back to the previous sentence, it triggers the V2 rule. This means the verb must immediately follow **det**, placing the subject after the verb.

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### Answering Questions

This structure is especially common when answering questions or agreeing and disagreeing with a statement. Where English might just say "Yes, I will" or "I don't think so," Danish typically leads with **det**, followed by the verb and subject.

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### Expressing Contrast

To strongly disagree with an assumption, use the adverb **tværtimod** (on the contrary). You can also soften a negative response with **nødvendigvis** (necessarily).

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### Using "det" with Prepositions

If a verb or adjective phrase is normally followed by a preposition—such as **overbevist om** (convinced of)—you still substitute the main idea with **det** at the front of the sentence. The preposition is simply left behind at the end of the clause.

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Clause substitution (det)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Definite nouns and the copula (-en, -et, er)

Indefinite articles (en, et)

Present tense verbs and word order (-r)

Plural subject pronouns (vi, I, de)

The verb to have (har)

Yes/No questions

Wh-questions (hvad, hvem, hvor)

Main clause negation (ikke)

Regular noun plurals (-er, -r)

Short noun plurals (-e)

Definite plurals (-ne)

Neuter adjective agreement (-t)

Plural adjective agreement (-e)

Adjectives with indefinite nouns

Adjectives with definite nouns (den / det / de ... -e)

Numbers 1 to 10

Numbers 11 to 20

Counting by tens to 100

Expressing age (er ... år)

Genitive possession (-s)

Singular possessives (min, din)

Third-person possessives (hans, hendes)

Plural possessives (vores, jeres, deres)

Reflexive possessives (sin, sit, sine)

Singular object pronouns (mig, dig)

Plural object pronouns (os, jer, dem)

The infinitive marker (at)

The modal verb can (kan)

The modal verb want to (vil)

The modal verb must (skal)

Negating modal verbs

Inversion after adverbs

Prepositions of position (i, på)

Prepositions of direction (til, fra)

Days of the week (mandag, tirsdag...)

Months of the year (januar, februar...)

Telling time (hel, halv, kvart)

Coordinating conjunctions (og, men, eller)

Subordinating conjunctions (at, fordi)

Subordinate clause negation

Commands (køb, vent, spis)

Zero-ending neuter plurals

The Human Body: Head and Face

The Human Body: Limbs and Torso

Personal Hygiene

Digital Life

Tools and Hardware

Emergency and Safety

Common Materials

Money and Payments

Short answers (Ja, det gør jeg)

Greetings (hej, godmorgen, farvel)

Thanks and apologies (tak, undskyld)

Jobs and nationalities (Hun er lærer)

Likes and dislikes (kan godt lide)

Somebody and something (nogen, noget, ingen)

How much? (meget, lidt, mere, nok)

With, by, over and under (med, ved, over, under)

Ordinals and dates (den første april)

Wishes for every occasion (tillykke, god bedring)

Times of day (om morgenen, om aftenen)

My day (stå op, gå i seng)

Past tense I: -ede and -te (i går)

My new hat (min nye hat, små, gamle)

Past tense II: irregular verbs (var, havde, gik)

Reacting in a conversation (nå, det lyder godt)

The family and irregular plurals (mænd, børn, fødder)

In the shop (Hvad koster det?)

Demonstratives: that and those (den, det, de)

Demonstratives: this and these (denne, dette, disse)

Adverbs of manner (-t)

Comparing things (-ere, end)

Superlative adjectives (-est)

Definite superlative adjectives (-este)

Irregular adjective comparison

Comparing long adjectives (mere, mest)

The reflexive pronoun (sig)

Reflexive verbs

Reciprocal verbs (-s)

Deponent verbs (-s)

Past opinions (syntes)

Present perfect tense with regular verbs (har... -et/-t)

Present perfect tense with irregular verbs (har...)

Present perfect tense with movement (er...)

Past perfect tense (havde / var...)

Question	Answer
to guarantee	garantere
He says that he can repair the car, but I cannot guarantee that.	Han siger at han kan reparere bilen, men det kan jeg ikke garantere.
naturally	naturligvis
Will they stay home? Yes, of course I can guarantee that.	Skal de blive hjemme? Ja, det kan jeg naturligvis garantere.
to fear	frygte
The storm is coming soon, and I actually fear that.	Stormen kommer snart, og det frygter jeg faktisk.
He might lose his job, and he fears that a lot.	Han mister måske sit job, og det frygter han meget.
the risk	risikoen
He says that the risk is big, but I do not fear that.	Han siger at risikoen er stor, men det frygter jeg ikke.
Do not take the risk!	Lad være med at tage risikoen!
to reject	afvise
He says that he is telling the truth, but she rejects that.	Han siger at han fortæller sandheden, men det afviser hun.
She is the woman who completely rejects the risk.	Hun er kvinden der helt afviser risikoen.
Will you help me tomorrow? Yes, naturally I will.	Vil du hjælpe mig i morgen? Ja, det vil jeg naturligvis.
apparently	tilsyneladende
He is apparently very sick, but I do not believe that.	Han er tilsyneladende meget syg, men det tror jeg ikke.
They have apparently sold the house, but the lawyer rejects that.	De har tilsyneladende solgt huset, men det afviser advokaten.
to regret (to be sorry about)	beklage
I deeply regret that the train is delayed.	Jeg beklager meget at toget er forsinket.
He forgot the meeting this morning, and he regrets that now.	Han glemte mødet i morges, og det beklager han nu.
on the contrary	tværtimod
I am not tired. On the contrary, I am completely ready.	Jeg er ikke træt. Tværtimod er jeg helt klar.
necessarily	nødvendigvis
Do you think that he is angry? No, I do not necessarily think so.	Tror du at han er sur? Nej, det tror jeg ikke nødvendigvis.
He claims that it is a lie, but I reject that completely.	Han påstår at det er en løgn, men det afviser jeg helt.
convinced	overbevist
She claims that she will win the match, and I am convinced of that.	Hun påstår at hun vinder kampen, og det er jeg overbevist om.
I am convinced that there is no risk.	Jeg er overbevist om at der ikke er nogen risiko.
Is the father in agreement? On the contrary, he rejects that.	Er faren enig? Tværtimod, det afviser han.
Is the solution perfect? The mother does not necessarily think so.	Er løsningen perfekt? Det tror moren ikke nødvendigvis.