Learn Hardcore Danish: Min ven er meget præcis.

kæreste is the usual word for boyfriend/girlfriend/partner
ven and veninde can be used to hint at gender:
- ven = (male) friend
- veninde = (female) friend

So Min ven usually means My (male) friend, not automatically my boyfriend, unless the context clearly suggests a romantic relationship.

Why is the verb er used here, and what tense is it?

er is the present tense of the verb at være (to be).

jeg er = I am
du er = you are
han/hun er = he/she is
vi er = we are
de er = they are

In Min ven er meget præcis, er is present tense, just like English is. Danish does not change er for different persons (I/you/he), so it’s always er in the present tense.

What kind of word is præcis here, and why doesn’t it change form?

præcis is an adjective meaning precise, exact, or punctual, depending on context.

In the sentence Min ven er meget præcis:

præcis is in predicative position (after er, describing the subject)
In this position, Danish adjectives do not change form for gender or number

Compare:

Min ven er præcis. – My friend is precise. (no ending)
en præcis ven – a precise friend (still no ending)
et præcist ur – a precise watch (‑t because ur is neuter, et‑word)
præcise venner – precise friends (‑e in plural)

So here, because it is after the verb er, it stays as præcis.

Can præcis mean “on time” like “punctual”, or only “exact/accurate”?

præcis can cover both meanings, depending on context:

Exact / accurate
- Et præcist tal = an exact number
- En præcis forklaring = an accurate/precise explanation
Punctual / on time
- Hun er altid præcis = She is always on time / punctual

In Min ven er meget præcis, it could mean either:

your friend is very accurate/precise, or
your friend is very punctual,

depending on the wider context the learner already knows.

What does meget mean here, and does it always mean “very”?

meget has two main uses:

As an adverb meaning very:
- meget præcis = very precise
- meget glad = very happy
As a quantifier meaning much / a lot (of):
- meget vand = a lot of water
- jeg arbejder meget = I work a lot

In Min ven er meget præcis, it is clearly the adverb use, so it means very.

Is the word order fixed? Could I say Min ven er præcis meget?

You cannot say Min ven er præcis meget in standard Danish; it sounds wrong.

The normal word order here is:

Subject – Verb – Degree adverb – Adjective
Min ven – er – meget – præcis

So:

✅ Min ven er meget præcis.
❌ Min ven er præcis meget.

The degree adverb (meget, rigtig, virkelig, etc.) normally comes right before the adjective it modifies.

Could I use rigtig or virkelig instead of meget? Would it sound different?

Yes, you can use other intensifiers, with slightly different nuance:

meget præcis – very precise (neutral, common)
rigtig præcis – really (very) precise, often a bit more colloquial
virkelig præcis – truly / really precise (can sound a bit stronger or more emphatic)

All are grammatically fine:

Min ven er rigtig præcis.
Min ven er virkelig præcis.

The differences are more about tone and emphasis than grammar.

Why can’t you drop the subject and just say Er meget præcis?

In Danish, you normally must include the subject pronoun or noun, just like in English.

English: “Is very precise” – sounds wrong without he/she/it
Danish: Er meget præcis – also wrong without a subject

So you need:

Han er meget præcis. – He is very precise.
Min ven er meget præcis. – My friend is very precise.

Danish is not a “pro‑drop” language like Spanish or Italian; you almost always state the subject.

How do I pronounce ven? Is the v like in English very?

Pronunciation of ven (IPA: roughly /ven/):

v: a soft, voiced sound, close to English v in very, but often slightly softer
e: a short e sound, similar to e in bed, but a bit tenser
n: like English n

Also, the e is short; don’t stretch it like English vain. It’s closer to ven in “ven-diagram”, but shorter and clearer.

How do I pronounce meget and why is the d not clearly heard?

meget is tricky for learners. A fairly close pronunciation is (in IPA) /ˈmɑːð̞/ or /ˈmɑjð̞/, depending on dialect.

Key points:

m: as in English man
e is not really heard as a separate vowel here; it’s part of the spelling
The vowel sounds like a long a (similar to a in father, but fronted)
g is silent in modern standard pronunciation
d is soft, not like a strong English d; it’s more like a soft, voiced sound near the back of the mouth, often very weak

So you do not pronounce it like English “mee-get”. It’s closer to “ma-ð” with a long a and a very soft final sound.

How do I pronounce præcis? Is the æ like “a” in “cat”?

præcis is pronounced roughly /pʰʁæˈsiːs/ in standard Danish.

pr: the p is aspirated (a small puff of air), and r is a uvular sound (from the back of the throat), not like English r
æ: yes, it’s similar to “a” in English “cat”, but a bit tenser and clearer
c is pronounced as s here (because it’s before i)
i is a long ee sound, as in see
s at the end is like English s

So very roughly: “præ-sees”, with æ as in cat and see stretched a bit: præ‑SEES.

Is ven singular or plural here? How would I say “my friends are very precise”?

In Min ven er meget præcis:

ven is singular (one friend)
min is the singular possessive for an en‑word

For the plural:

venner = friends
mine = my (for all plural nouns)

So:

Mine venner er meget præcise.
- mine venner = my friends
- præcise = plural form of the adjective (‑e added)

Notice two changes:

ven → venner (plural)
præcis → præcise (‑e in plural when it describes the noun)