Deponent Verbs
In the previous lesson, you saw that adding -s to a verb can make it reciprocal (doing something to each other). Another group of verbs ends in -s in all forms, but they have a standard, active meaning. These are known as deponent verbs.
For example, findes means "to exist" (or literally, "to be found"), and trives means "to thrive":
| She believes that the old house does not exist. | Hun tror at det gamle hus ikke findes. |
| The green plant thrives in the warm room. | Den grønne plante trives i det varme værelse. |
Success and Failure
You will frequently see deponent verbs when talking about outcomes. Lykkes means "to succeed", while adding the prefix mis- gives you mislykkes (to fail).
Notice how they are used to describe attempts (forsøget) and plans (planen):
| We hope that the attempt succeeds. | Vi håber at forsøget lykkes. |
| The plan fails, but the boss is not angry. | Planen mislykkes, men chefen er ikke vred. |
Longing and Moving About
Another common deponent verb is længes (to yearn or long for). It is usually followed by the preposition efter (for).
| The boy yearns for the summer. | Drengen længes efter sommeren. |
Finally, færdes means to move about, travel, or navigate a space:
| One gets around slowly in the big city. | Man færdes langsomt i den store by. |
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