Questions & Answers about Jeg har kun ét spørgsmål.
Why is the word order Jeg har kun ét spørgsmål?
This is the normal Danish main-clause order:
- Jeg = subject
- har = finite verb
- kun = adverb
- ét spørgsmål = noun phrase / object
So the pattern is basically:
subject + verb + adverb + object
That is very common in simple Danish statements.
If you move things around, the meaning or emphasis changes. For example:
- Jeg har kun ét spørgsmål = I have only one question.
- Kun jeg har ét spørgsmål = Only I have one question.
So in your sentence, the placement of kun shows that it limits ét spørgsmål.
Why is it har?
Har is the present tense of at have = to have.
In Danish, the present tense is the same for all persons:
- jeg har = I have
- du har = you have
- han/hun har = he/she has
- vi har = we have
- de har = they have
Unlike English, Danish does not change the verb to has for third person singular. It stays har.
What does kun mean here, and why is it placed there?
Kun means only.
In this sentence, it limits the noun phrase ét spørgsmål, so the sense is:
I have only one question.
Its position is natural because Danish often places short adverbs like kun after the finite verb and before the part they affect.
Compare:
- Jeg har kun ét spørgsmål = I have only one question.
- Jeg kun har ét spørgsmål = not normal in standard Danish.
- Kun jeg har ét spørgsmål = Only I have one question.
So the placement of kun is important for meaning.
Why is it ét and not just et?
Ét is the numeral one in the neuter form, written with an accent when you want to make it clear that it means one and not just a/an.
Compare:
- et spørgsmål = a question
- ét spørgsmål = one question
In this sentence, kun already suggests a number restriction, so writing ét makes that very clear: only one question.
In everyday writing, Danes do sometimes leave out the accent and write et even when they mean one, but ét is the clearer written form here.
Why is it ét spørgsmål and not én spørgsmål?
Because spørgsmål is a neuter noun, and neuter nouns take et/ét, not en/én.
Danish has two grammatical genders:
- en-words
- et-words
Spørgsmål is an et-word:
- et spørgsmål = a question
- ét spørgsmål = one question
- spørgsmålet = the question
If it were an en-word, you would use en or én instead.
Is spørgsmål singular or plural here?
Here it is singular, because it is preceded by ét = one.
A useful thing to know is that spørgsmål has the same form in singular and indefinite plural:
- et spørgsmål = a question
- flere spørgsmål = several questions
The definite forms are different:
- spørgsmålet = the question
- spørgsmålene = the questions
So context and determiners help you know whether it is singular or plural.
How do you pronounce ét and spørgsmål?
A learner often notices that these words are harder to pronounce than they look.
A few helpful points:
- ét has a clear stressed meaning of one
- spørgsmål is not pronounced exactly the way the spelling might suggest
- the g in spørgsmål is not pronounced like a strong English g in go
Many learners hear something closer to spørsmål than a fully pronounced spørgsmål.
Also, the vowel in spør- is a specifically Danish sound, so it usually takes practice.
If you are learning pronunciation, it is a good idea to listen to native audio rather than rely only on spelling.
Could I say bare instead of kun?
Sometimes yes, but the nuance can be slightly different.
- Jeg har kun ét spørgsmål = a straightforward I only have one question
- Jeg har bare ét spørgsmål = can also mean I just have one question, often with a slightly more conversational tone
Kun is the clearest and most neutral choice for strict only.
Bare is very common in spoken Danish, but it can also mean things like just, simply, or soften the tone. So for a learner, kun is the safest word here if you want the exact idea of only.
Can I write Jeg har kun et spørgsmål without the accent?
Yes, you may see that in real life, especially in informal writing.
But there is a difference in principle:
- et spørgsmål = a question
- ét spørgsmål = one question
So in careful writing, ét is better here because it shows the number clearly.
In other words:
- Jeg har kun et spørgsmål is common and understandable
- Jeg har kun ét spørgsmål is clearer and more precise
For a learner, it is useful to recognize both, but also to understand why the sentence you were given uses ét.
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