Asserting and recounting
When discussing memoirs and biographies, you will frequently use assertive verbs—verbs that express stating, believing, or declaring a fact. Common examples include mene (to think/be of the opinion), tro (to believe), hævde (to claim), and erklære (to declare).
Word order in assertive at-clauses
In standard written Danish, a subordinate clause starting with at (that) follows strict word order: a central adverb like ikke (not), faktisk (actually), or bare (just) must come before the verb.
However, conversational Danish frequently breaks this rule for assertive at-clauses. When an at-clause follows an assertive verb, it feels like an independent statement. Because of this, spoken Danish often gives these clauses main clause word order.
This means the central adverb is placed after the verb. Notice how the adverbs faktisk and bare directly follow the verbs var and er in these examples:
Negation in assertive at-clauses
This conversational shift is most noticeable with negative adverbs like ikke (not) and aldrig (never).
While formal text requires the adverb first (e.g., at han ikke vil... or at hun aldrig har...), everyday speech following an assertive verb puts the verb first:
