Blog › Conjunctions
og, fordi or derfor? Three ways to join Danish sentences
Danish linking words come in three teams. Og-words join two normal sentences and change nothing. Fordi-words start a subordinate clause, where ikke moves in front of the verb. Derfor-words take the first seat of the sentence, so the verb jumps in front of the subject.
These three sentences all say the same thing: I'm ill, so I'm staying at home. Look at what happens to the word order in each:
- Jeg er syg, så jeg bliver hjemme.Team og: normal order after så.
- Jeg bliver hjemme, fordi jeg er syg.Team fordi: a subordinate clause.
- Jeg er syg. Derfor bliver jeg hjemme.Team derfor: bliver jumps in front of jeg.
Team og: nothing changes
og (and), men (but), eller (or), for (for, because) and så (so) simply glue two complete sentences together. Each side keeps its normal word order, exactly as if it stood alone.
- Det regner,sentence
- menglue
- visubject
- gårverb
- en turthe rest
- Jeg er sulten, og jeg vil gerne have mad.I'm hungry, and I'd like some food.
- Han er træt, men han vil ikke sove.He's tired, but he doesn't want to sleep.
Team fordi: ikke jumps in front of the verb
fordi (because), hvis (if), når (when), selvom (even though), mens (while) and at (that) start a subordinate clause: a half-sentence that cannot stand on its own. The subject still comes before the verb, but small words like ikke, altid and aldrig move in front of the verb.
- fordistarter
- jegsubject
- ikkeikke first
- harverb
- tidthe rest
- Jeg bliver hjemme, fordi jeg ikke har det godt.I'm staying home because I don't feel well.
- Jeg bliver hjemme, fordi jeg har ikke det godt.Main-clause order inside a fordi-clause.
- Vi går en tur, selvom det regner.We're going for a walk even though it's raining.
Quick check
“She's coming even though she doesn't have time.”
… selvom hun ikke har tid. selvom starts a subordinate clause, so ikke goes in front of the verb har.
Show answer
Hun kommer, selvom hun ikke har tid. In a selvom-clause, ikke goes before the verb.
Team derfor: the verb jumps forward
derfor (that's why), alligevel (still, anyway), bagefter (afterwards) and desuden (besides) are not glue at all. They are adverbs, and when you put one first, it takes seat 1 of the sentence. The verb must stay in seat 2, so the subject moves behind it. This is inversion, the same rule as I dag spiser jeg.
- Derfor1 · adverb
- bliver2 · verb
- jegsubject
- hjemmethe rest
- Det regnede. Alligevel gik vi en tur.It was raining. We still went for a walk.
- Jeg er syg, og derfor bliver jeg hjemme.After og, derfor still takes seat 1 of its own clause.
- Jeg er syg. Derfor jeg bliver hjemme.The English pattern: the verb must come right after derfor.
Quick check
Finish it: “Jeg er træt. Derfor …”
… går jeg i seng. Derfor takes seat 1, so the verb går comes next and jeg follows.
Show answer
Derfor går jeg i seng. Derfor takes seat 1, so the verb comes next.
Watch out for så
så plays for two teams. Meaning so, it is glue (team og), and nothing changes. Meaning then, it is an adverb (team derfor), and the verb jumps forward:
- Jeg var syg, så jeg blev hjemme.so: I was ill, so I stayed home.
- Først spiser vi, så går vi en tur.then: First we eat, then we go for a walk.
Quick check
Which word leaves the word order of the next clause completely unchanged?
og. It joins two normal sentences. fordi moves ikke in front of the verb, and derfor pushes the verb in front of the subject.
Show answer
og. It joins two normal sentences without changing anything.
Cheat sheet
| Team | Words | What happens | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| og | og, men, eller, for, så (so) | Nothing changes | …, men han vil ikke sove. |
| fordi | fordi, hvis, når, selvom, mens, at | ikke before the verb | …, fordi jeg ikke har tid. |
| derfor | derfor, alligevel, bagefter, så (then) | Verb before subject | Derfor bliver jeg hjemme. |
Practise it. Konjunktion Crush drills the right linking word in context, and Forbindeord trains the words that tie a text together.
Play Konjunktion Crush → Play Forbindeord →