The Present Participle (-ende)
To describe an ongoing state like "sitting" or "standing", Danish uses the present participle. Form it by adding -ende to the infinitive of the verb:
- at sidde → siddende (sitting)
- at stå → stående (standing)
- at ligge → liggende (lying down)
Maintained States with "Blive"
To express "remaining" or "staying" in a physical state, Danish pairs at blive (to stay / become) with a present participle:
- at blive siddende (to remain seated)
- at blive stående (to remain standing)
- at blive liggende (to remain lying down)
Because blive handles the tense, it is the only part of the phrase that changes (e.g., bliver in present, blev in past). The present participle always ends in -ende.
| The meditation on the retreat is strict, so we remain seated on the floor. | Meditationen på retreatet er streng, så vi bliver siddende på gulvet. |
| Even though he got a cramp, he remained standing during the whole retreat. | Selvom han fik en krampe, blev han stående under hele retreatet. |
| You must remain lying down and accept the racing thoughts to find the presence. | Du skal blive liggende og acceptere tankemylderet for at finde tilstedeværelsen. |
Beyond Physical Postures
This structure is most common for body positions, but it also applies to verbs like at bo (to live/reside) to express continuing an ongoing state.
- at blive boende (to continue living / remain living)
| Since the retreat is undisturbed, we continue living out here in the forest. | Eftersom retreatet er uforstyrret, bliver vi boende herude i skoven. |
Enduring the Retreat
When meditating, the goal is often simply to maintain your state and observe your thoughts, even when you experience a sore back or restlessness.
| It is hard to remain seated when one is sore and feels the restlessness. | Det er svært at blive siddende når man er øm og mærker rastløsheden. |
| Instead of fighting the restlessness, she remains standing and focuses on the breathing. | I stedet for at bekæmpe rastløsheden bliver hun stående og fokuserer på vejrtrækningen. |
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