Da vi kom til perronen, var toget allerede kørt.

to be

Breakdown of Da vi kom til perronen, var toget allerede kørt.

• til: to
• vi: we
• allerede: already

Questions & Answers about Da vi kom til perronen, var toget allerede kørt.

Why is the verb before the subject in the second clause (var toget instead of toget var)?

Danish main clauses are V2 (the finite verb must be in second position). The fronted subordinate clause (Da vi kom til perronen) occupies the first slot, so the finite verb (var) has to come next, before the subject (toget): …, var toget allerede kørt. If the main clause stands alone, you would say Toget var allerede kørt (subject in first position, verb in second).

What’s the difference between da and når, and which one fits here?

Use da for a single, specific time in the past (“when” referring to a past event). Use når for habitual/repeated times or general future (“whenever/when”). Here it’s one past event, so da is correct.

Is var kørt a passive (“was driven”)? It looks like it.

No. Var kørt here is the past perfect (plusquamperfect) formed with være + past participle for an intransitive motion verb. It means “had left/was gone (by departure).” A real passive would be var blevet kørt (“had been driven [by someone]”), which is a different meaning.

Why do we use være (be) and not have to form the perfect here?