Learn Danish: Hvem kender ikke navnet? - Who does not know the name?

In Danish main clauses, the verb is always the second idea in the sentence (the V2 rule). Since the question word Hvem is the subject and takes the first position, the verb kender must come second. The negation ikke then directly follows the verb.

Usually questions start with a verb, so why is the word order Subject-Verb here?

While yes/no questions start with a verb in Danish, question-word questions start with the question word. Because Hvem (Who) is the subject of this sentence, the word order actually looks exactly like a normal statement: Subject (Hvem) + Verb (kender) + Adverb (ikke) + Object (navnet).

Why do we use kender for "know" instead of ved?

Danish uses two different words for "to know". You use ved when knowing a fact, like knowing what time it is. You use kender when you are familiar with a person, place, or thing. Because we are talking about being familiar with a specific name, we use kender.

How does navnet mean "the name"?

In Danish, the word for "the" is usually added to the end of the noun as a suffix, rather than standing as a separate word in front. "A name" is et navn. To say "the name", you attach the -et to the end, making it navnet.