Learn Danish: Har du brug for nøglen?

In Danish, there isn't a single common verb for 'to need'. Instead, you use the fixed phrase at have brug for, which literally translates to 'to have use for'. So, har du brug for literally means 'have you use for'.

How is the question formed here without the word 'do'?

Danish forms questions by simply swapping the subject and the verb. Instead of the statement du har (you have), you ask har du (have you). Danish does not use a helper word like 'do' to ask basic questions.

Can I leave out 'for' and just say 'Har du brug nøglen'?

No, the preposition for is a required part of the expression at have brug for. Without it, the sentence would be grammatically incorrect, similar to saying 'Do you have use the key?' in English.

Why does 'nøglen' end in just '-n' instead of '-en' to mean 'the key'?

The basic dictionary word for a key is en nøgle. Because the word already ends in the letter 'e', you only add an -n to the end to make it 'the key' (nøglen), avoiding an awkward double 'e'.