Questions & Answers about Jeg har ikke tid nu, måske en anden gang.
Why is it jeg har and not something like jeg er?
In Danish, at have tid means to have time, just like in English.
- jeg har = I have
- jeg er = I am
So Jeg har ikke tid literally matches English very closely: I do not have time.
Why does ikke come after har in Jeg har ikke tid?
In a main clause in Danish, the negation ikke usually comes after the finite verb.
So:
- Jeg har ikke tid = correct
- Jeg ikke har tid = not correct in a normal main clause
A useful pattern is:
- subject + verb + ikke + ...
Examples:
- Jeg kommer ikke i dag = I’m not coming today
- Han kan ikke hjælpe = He can’t help
Why is there no article before tid?