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har or er? Choosing the helper verb in the Danish perfect
Most Danish verbs make the perfect with har: Jeg har spist. A small group of verbs that mean moving somewhere or changing state use er when the result is what matters: Hun er gået hjem, Han er blevet syg. If the verb has an object, it is always har.
The default is har
The Danish perfect (førnutid) is built like the English one: a helper verb plus a past participle. Nine times out of ten the helper is har.
- Jegsubject
- harhelper
- spistparticiple
- morgenmadthe rest
- Jeg har spist morgenmad.I've had breakfast.
- Vi har boet her i to år.We've lived here for two years.
- Jeg har været syg hele ugen.I've been ill all week. (være takes har)
When er takes over
A group of verbs describe going somewhere or turning into something: gå, komme, rejse, flytte, løbe, køre, flyve, falde, blive, forsvinde. When you talk about where someone ended up, or what they became, Danish uses er.
- Hun er gået hjem.She has gone home. (she's not here now)
- Toget er kørt.The train has left.
- Han er blevet syg.He has fallen ill.
- Min nøgle er forsvundet.My key has disappeared.
Quick check
“My sister has moved to Copenhagen.” Min søster ___ flyttet til København.
er. She has moved somewhere and now lives there. The result counts, so: er flyttet.
Show answer
er. She moved somewhere, and the result counts.
Same verb, two helpers
The trick: many of these verbs can take either helper. Ask yourself one question: is it about the activity, or about where it ended?
| har: the activity | er: the result / destination |
|---|---|
| Jeg har gået en lang tur. | Hun er gået hjem. |
| Vi har løbet 10 kilometer. | Hunden er løbet væk. |
| Hun har rejst meget. | Hun er rejst til Spanien. |
| Jeg har kørt bil i 20 år. | Toget er kørt. |
The object test
If the verb has an object, something that is moved or done, it is always har. Compare:
- Vi er flyttet til Aarhus.We have moved to Aarhus. (we moved ourselves)
- Vi har flyttet sofaen.We have moved the sofa. (sofaen is an object)
Quick check
“We've moved all the furniture.” Vi ___ flyttet alle møblerne.
har. alle møblerne is an object, and a verb with an object always takes har.
Show answer
har. The verb has an object (alle møblerne).
Quick check
“The dog has run away.” Hunden ___ løbet væk.
er. It is about where the dog ended up (gone), not about the running, so: er løbet væk.
Show answer
er. It's about the result: the dog is gone.
Cheat sheet
| Use | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| har | Almost all verbs, including være | Jeg har været i Rom. |
| har | The verb has an object | Vi har flyttet sofaen. |
| har | Movement as an activity | Vi har løbet 10 kilometer. |
| er | Moving somewhere, result counts | Hun er rejst til Spanien. |
| er | Change of state | Han er blevet syg. |
Practise it. Tidsmaskinen trains the Danish tenses in context, including the perfect with har and er.
Play Tidsmaskinen →