Formal relative adverbs with "hvor"
In formal Danish, such as official documents and procedures, you will often need to connect a preposition with a relative pronoun (like "in which" or "after which"). Instead of keeping these words separate, Danish combines hvor (where) directly with a preposition to form a single relative adverb.
Let's start with hvorefter (after which), which is perfect for describing a sequence of events.
| He will state the amount, after which we will get the approval. | Han vil angive beløbet hvorefter vi får godkendelsen. |
| She enclosed the document, after which the procedure began. | Hun vedlagde dokumentet hvorefter fremgangsmåden begyndte. |
Physical and abstract containment
When referring to something being "inside" something else, we use hvori (in which). This works for both physical containers, like folders, and abstract spaces, like sections of a text or rules.
| I am reading the section in which they state the rule. | Jeg læser afsnittet hvori de angiver reglen. |
| Is this the folder in which she keeps the approval? | Er dette mappen hvori hun gemmer godkendelsen? |
Tools, methods, and foundations
When describing how something is done or what it is built upon, you can attach different prepositions to hvor.
- hvormed means "with which" (for tools or documents).
- hvorved means "whereby" or "by which" (for methods or procedures).
- hvorpå means "upon which" or "on which" (for physical surfaces or abstract conditions).
| He enclosed the document with which we can confirm the agreement. | Han vedlagde dokumentet hvormed vi kan bekræfte aftalen. |
| She chose the procedure whereby we avoided the mistake. | Hun valgte fremgangsmåden hvorved vi undgik fejlen. |
| He stated the condition upon which we build the project. | Han angav betingelsen hvorpå vi bygger projektet. |
Word order with relative adverbs
Remember that clauses introduced by these relative adverbs are subordinate clauses. This means that if you need to use a sentence adverb like ikke (not), it must be placed before the verb.
| He is reading the section in which they do not state the price. | Han læser afsnittet hvori de ikke angiver prisen. |