Motion vs. Location
In Danish, spatial adverbs come in pairs. The short word is used for moving toward a destination (directional), and the longer word ending in -e is used for resting at that destination (locational). You may have seen this with ind/inde (in/inside) and ud/ude (out/outside).
Let's complete your knowledge of these pairs with two vital sets for navigating town: hen/henne and om/omme.
Hen vs. Henne (Over to / Over at)
Hen and henne describe a place that is a short, unspecified distance away, often translated as going "over to" or being "over at" a place.
Use hen for movement toward a location.
| The boy is walking over to the kiosk. | Drengen går hen til kiosken. |
Use henne when someone or something is already located there.
| The girl is over at the kiosk now. | Pigen er henne ved kiosken nu. |
Om vs. Omme (Around / Around back)
Om and omme mean going "around" something, like a corner, or to the back of a building.
Use om for motion or direction (even when just pointing!).
| The man is pointing around toward the alley. | Manden peger om mod smøgen. |
Use omme when an object is stationary and "around back."
| The bicycle is parked around back in the alley. | Cyklen står omme i smøgen. |
Running Errands Across Town
Combine these adverbs with town vocabulary to describe your daily routes, whether running an errand (et ærende), taking a shortcut (en genvej), or crossing (at krydse) the street.
| He is over at the kiosk on an errand. | Han er henne ved kiosken på et ærende. |
| We walked around behind the building to find the shortcut. | Vi gik om bag bygningen for at finde genvejen. |
You will often use both a directional and a locational adverb in the same sentence to describe exactly where you are walking to, and where that destination is located.
| We walk over to the path behind the house. | Vi går hen til stien omme bag huset. |
