Past Time Clauses with "Da"
In Danish, da translates to "when", but it is used exclusively to describe a specific period or a single, completed event in the past. This makes it perfect for sharing stories about your childhood or youth.
When you start a sentence with a da clause, that entire clause takes up the first position. Because of the V2 (verb-second) rule, the main clause that follows must immediately start with its verb (inverting the subject and verb). Notice how the first example below uses legede vi instead of vi legede.
| When we were in kindergarten, we always played outside. | Da vi gik i børnehave, legede vi altid ude. |
| When the boy was a teenager, he caused a lot of trouble. | Da drengen var teenager, lavede han meget ballade. |
"Da" in the Middle of a Sentence
You can also place the da clause in the middle of your sentence. When the main clause comes first, it follows normal word order (subject before verb).
| She was very shy when she started in elementary school. | Hun var meget genert da hun begyndte i folkeskolen. |
| They always played together when they were in the kindergarten. | De legede altid sammen da de var i børnehaven. |
Saying "Back Then"
If you have already established the time period and want to say "back then" or "at that time" without a full time clause, use the adverb dengang.
| We played a lot in the street back then. | Vi legede meget på gaden dengang. |
| He was a very shy boy back then. | Han var en meget genert dreng dengang. |
Sharing Memories
When reminiscing, you will often talk about specific memories or things you used to dream about in your free time.
| What did you dream about in your free time when you were a teenager? | Hvad drømte du om i fritiden da du var teenager? |
| I thought that it was a fun memory from primary school. | Jeg syntes at det var et sjovt minde fra folkeskolen. |
| It is a memory that I will never forget. | Det er et minde som jeg aldrig glemmer. |