The s-passive in the Infinitive
When reading formal regulations, public rules, or signs, you will often encounter the passive voice. The passive voice emphasizes the action itself, rather than who is performing it.
In Danish, one of the most common ways to form the passive is by adding -s to the end of the verb. To make an infinitive passive, just add -s to the active infinitive (for example, vise becomes vises, and købe becomes købes).
You will frequently see this s-passive combined with modal verbs like skal (must), kan (can), and må (may). Because modal verbs are followed by the infinitive, the main verb simply takes the -s ending.
| The ticket can be bought in the app. | Billetten kan købes i appen. |
| The ticket must be shown. | Billetten skal vises. |
| The dog must not be brought into the area. | Hunden må ikke medbringes i området. |
Permissions and Prohibitions
When discussing regulations, you will often need to state whether something is allowed or banned outright. You can express this directly using the adjectives tilladt (permitted) and forbudt (forbidden).
| Is it permitted to smoke in the area? | Er det tilladt at ryge i området? |
| The sign says that it is forbidden. | Skiltet siger at det er forbudt. |
Let's look at a few more examples of the s-passive in action to clearly communicate instructions and daily rules:
| The key must be handed in to the teacher. | Nøglen skal afleveres til læreren. |
| The bike must be placed by the building. | Cyklen skal stilles ved bygningen. |
| The window must be closed when it rains. | Vinduet skal lukkes når det regner. |
