Jeg har papir.

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Breakdown of Jeg har papir.

• papiret: the paper

Questions & Answers about Jeg har papir.

Why is there no indefinite article (like a) before papir?

In Danish, papir is often treated as a mass noun, so you typically don’t say et papir when referring to paper in general. If you just have some paper, you say Jeg har papir without an article.

How can I say “I have a piece of paper” in Danish if I’m talking about a single piece?

You would say Jeg har et stykke papir. Here, et stykke means a piece, clarifying that it’s a single item rather than an uncountable mass.

Why do we use “har” instead of another form of “have”?

Har is the present tense of the verb at have (to have). Other forms include havde (past tense) and haft (past participle), but for a simple present statement like Jeg har papir, you need the present tense.

How should I pronounce “Jeg har papir”?

• Jeg typically sounds like yai (some speakers may say it like ja),
• har usually sounds like har or ha(r) with a soft r,
• papir can sound like pa-PEER (the a is like ah).

Is “papir” a neuter noun or a common noun in Danish?

It’s a neuter noun, so its indefinite article is et (and the definite form would be papiret).