Presentational 'der' with Action Verbs
You already know that der (there) is used to say "there is" or "there are" (der er). But in Danish, der is also frequently paired with active verbs of motion or position to introduce a new person, thing, or event into a scene.
Instead of starting the sentence with the subject (e.g., "A cyclist is coming"), Danish often uses der as a "dummy subject." The real subject then follows the verb. This works beautifully with intransitive verbs—verbs that don't take a direct object—like kommer (comes), står (stands), and sidder (sits).
| A cyclist is coming. | Der kommer en cyklist. |
| A woman is sitting in front of the coffee shop. | Der sidder en kvinde foran kaffebaren. |
Setting the Scene
This presentational structure is the most natural way to paint a picture of a street scene or describe groups of people.
The word order typically follows: Der + [Verb] + [Indefinite Subject] + [Location/Time]. If you use an adverb like altid (always), it slips in immediately after the verb. Use this pattern along with collective nouns like en mængde (a crowd) or en flok (a group/flock) to describe what is happening around you.
| A large crowd of people is always standing by that coffee shop. | Der står altid en stor mængde mennesker ved den der kaffebar. |
| A group of people is walking towards the square. | Der går en flok mennesker mod torvet. |
More Verbs in the Wild
You can expand this pattern to almost any intransitive verb. It is perfect for describing sudden actions or events taking place in public, using verbs like løber (run), venter (wait), begynder (begin), or samles (gather).
| A pedestrian is waiting at the intersection. | Der venter en fodgænger ved lyskrydset. |
| Two pedestrians run out onto the street. | Der løber to fodgængere ud på gaden. |
| Many gather to see the parade. | Der samles mange for at se optoget. |
| A large demonstration is starting now. | Der begynder en stor demonstration nu. |
