Breakdown of Når han er tres år, får han pensionen.
være
to be
han
he
tres
sixty
året
the year
når
when
få
to get, to receive / to have (children)
pensionen
the pension
Questions & Answers about Når han er tres år, får han pensionen.
Why do we use når here for "when" and not da?
In Danish, når is used for things that happen in the future, or things that happen repeatedly. Because turning sixty is a future event for this person, we use når. The word da is only used for a single specific event in the past.
Why does the second part of the sentence say får han instead of han får?
This happens because of the V2 (verb-second) rule. The entire first clause (Når han er tres år) acts as the first block of the sentence. To keep the main verb in the second position, får must come right after that first block, which pushes the subject (han) to the other side of the verb.
The English translation says he "will get" the pension, but får is in the present tense. Why?
Danish frequently uses the simple present tense to talk about the future. As long as the context or a time expression (like turning sixty) makes it clear that the event hasn't happened yet, you don't need a separate future tense word like "will" in English.
I forgot how Danish numbers work. Why does tres mean sixty?
The Danish numbers from fifty to ninety are based on counting by twenties. Tres is a shortened version of an old phrase meaning "three times twenty" (3 x 20 = 60).
Learn Når han er tres år, får han pensionen and more in Danish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free