Danish Irregular Verbs: Complete Table + How to Actually Learn Them

This article was last updated and reviewed in March 2026.

Danish irregular verbs – complete reference table with conjugation forms

Danish Irregular Verbs: Complete Table + How to Actually Learn Them

If you’re learning Danish and feel like irregular verbs are one of those walls you just can’t get around — you’re right. There’s no shortcut here. Irregular verbs in Danish don’t follow the standard conjugation rules, which means you have to learn each one individually.

I know that sounds discouraging. But here’s what I’ve learned from my own experience learning Danish: the list is actually manageable. Once you’ve worked through the most important ones, you’ll find them everywhere — in everyday conversation, in reading, in listening. And that repetition does the work for you.

On this page you’ll find:

  • ✓ A complete reference table of Danish irregular verbs (English → Danish)
  • ✓ All conjugation forms: infinitive, present, past tense, and perfect
  • ✓ A free flashcard set to download (newsletter signup)
  • ✓ Practical advice on how to actually memorise them
Quick Answer: What are Danish irregular verbs?
Danish irregular verbs are verbs that do not follow the standard conjugation pattern (infinitive + -r for present, -te/-ede for past). Instead, their stems change in unpredictable ways. Common examples: være (to be) → er / var, gå (to go) → går / gik, give (to give) → giver / gav. They must be memorised individually — but the most important ones appear so frequently that you’ll internalise them faster than you think.

Why You Can’t Skip Irregular Verbs in Danish

When I started learning Danish — after already having worked through Norwegian — I assumed the irregular verbs would be a manageable side topic. They’re not. The most common verbs in any language tend to be the most irregular ones. Være (to be), have (to have), gå (to go), komme (to come), se (to see) — these are the building blocks of every sentence you’ll ever say or hear.

The good news: because these verbs appear so often, you get more repetition with them than with any regular verb. The investment pays off quickly.

danish irregular verbs study flashcards

How Danish Verb Conjugation Works (Regular vs. Irregular)

Before diving into the irregular verbs, it helps to understand the baseline — what regular Danish verbs look like, so you know exactly what “irregular” means in contrast.

Regular Danish verbs follow a predictable pattern:

  • Infinitive: the base form, always used with at — e.g. at tale (to speak)
  • Present (præsens): infinitive + -r → taler
  • Past (imperfektum): infinitive + -te or -ede → talte
  • Perfect (perfektum): har + past participle ending in -t or -et → har talt

Irregular verbs break one or more of these rules. The stem changes, the ending is different, or the auxiliary verb shifts from har to er in the perfect. There’s no single pattern — which is exactly why they need to go on flashcards.

If you want a broader overview of how Danish works as a language and what to expect as a learner, my guide Learn Danish: The Complete Guide to Courses & Methods covers the full picture.

Danish Irregular Verbs: Complete Reference Table

This table contains all the key Danish irregular verbs with their full conjugation: infinitive, present tense, past tense (imperfektum), and perfect tense (perfektum). Use it for reference, for study, or print it out.

✓ Complete list of irregular verbs
✓ English translation included
✓ All four conjugation forms
✓ Available as a free printable PDF (see below)

English Infinitive Præsens Imperfektum Perfektum
to apply / be valid gælde gælder gjaldt har gældt
to ask / pray bede beder bad har bedt
to be være er var har været
to be called hedde hedder hed har heddet
to be silent tie tier tav / tiede har tiet
to betray svige sviger sveg har sveget
to bind / tie binde binder bandt har bundet
to bite bide bider bed har bidt
to break bryde bryder brød har brudt
to burst briste brister bristede / brast er bristet
can / to be able to kunne kan kunne har kunnet
to carry / bear bære bærer bar har båret
to cheat / deceive snyde snyder snød har snydt
to choose / elect vælge vælger valgte har valgt
to come komme kommer kom er kommet
to count tælle tæller talte har talt
to crawl / creep krybe kryber krøb har/er krøbet
to cry / weep græde græder græd har grædt
to cut skære skærer skar har skåret
to die dø dør døde er død
to do / make gøre gør gjorde har gjort
to draw / pull drage drager drog har/er draget
to drift / blow (snow) fyge fyger føg har/er føget
to drink drikke drikker drak har drukket
to drive / drift drive driver drev har/er drevet
to dwindle / vanish svinde svinder svandt har svundet
to eat (animals) æde æder åd har ædt
to enjoy nyde nyder nød har nydt
to fall falde falder faldt er faldet
to feel like / bother gide gider gad har gidet
to find finde finder fandt har fundet
to flow / float flyde flyder flød har/er flydt
to fly flyve flyver fløj har/er fløjet
to follow følge følger fulgte har fulgt
to freeze fryse fryser frøs har frosset
to get / receive få får fik har fået
to give give giver gav har givet
to glide / slide glide glider gled er gledet
to go / walk gå går gik har/er gået
to grab / grasp gribe griber greb har grebet
to grind / sharpen slibe sliber sleb har slebet
to hang hænge hænger hængte / hang har hængt
to have have har havde har haft
to help hjælpe hjælper hjalp har hjulpet
to hit / beat slå slår slog har slået
to hold / keep holde holder holdt har/er holdt
to hunt / chase jage jager jagede / jog har jaget
to jump / spring springe springer sprang har/er sprunget
to know (a fact) vide ved vidste har vidst
to laugh le ler lo har leet
to lay / put lægge lægger lagde har lagt
to let / allow lade lader lod har ladet / ladt
to lie (position) ligge ligger lå har ligget
to lie (untruth) lyve lyver løj har løjet
to mean / signify betyde betyder betød har betydet
to meet / hit (target) træffe træffer traf har truffet
must / may måtte må måtte har måttet
to offer / bid byde byder bød har budt
to pinch knibe kniber kneb har knebet
to pour gyde gyder gød har gydt
to pull / haul hive hiver hev har hevet
to reach / pass række rækker rakte har rakt
to regret fortryde fortryder fortrød har fortrudt
to ride ride rider red har redet
to ring / sound klinge klinger klingede / klang har klinget
to rise / climb stige stiger steg er steget
to rub gnide gnider gned har gnedet
to run løbe løber løb har/er løbet
to rush / race fare farer for er faret
to say sige siger sagde har sagt
to scream / shout skrige skriger skreg har skreget
to see se ser så har set
to sell sælge sælger solgte har solgt
to set / put sætte sætter satte har sat
shall / will skulle skal skulle har skullet
to shoot skyde skyder skød har skudt
should / ought to burde bør burde har burdet
to shudder gyse gyser gyste / gøs har gyst
to sing synge synger sang har sunget
to sink synke synker sank har/er sunket
to sit sidde sidder sad har siddet
to sleep sove sover sov har sovet
to smoke ryge ryger røg har/er røget
to sneak snige sniger sneg har sneget
to sneeze nyse nyser nøs / nyste har nyst
to snort fnyse fnyser fnøs / fnyste har fnyst
to sound lyde lyder lød har lydt
to spin spinde spinder spandt har spundet
to spread / grease smøre smører smurte har smurt
to stand stå står stod har stået
to steal stjæle stjæler stjal har stjålet
to step / tread træde træder trådte har/er trådt
to sting / hurt svie svier sved har svedet
to sting / stab stikke stikker stak har stukket
to stretch strække strækker strakte har strakt
to strive / fight stride strider stred har stridt
to stroke / iron stryge stryger strøg har/er strøget
to suffer lide lider led har lidt
to suffocate / choke kvæle kvæler kvalte har kvalt
to swear sværge sværger svor / sværgede har svoret
to swing svinge svinger svingede / svang har/er svinget
to take tage tager tog har taget
to tear / rip rive river rev har revet
to throw smide smider smed har smidt
to wake (someone) vække vækker vækkede / vakte har vækket
to want / will ville vil ville har villet
to win vinde vinder vandt har vundet
to write skrive skriver skrev har skrevet
to yield / give way vige viger veg har/er veget

How to Actually Learn Danish Irregular Verbs

There’s no way around it: you have to memorise them. I’ve been through this process myself — first with Norwegian, then with Danish — and I can tell you that there’s no clever hack that replaces spaced repetition with actual verb forms.

What did work for me: old-fashioned flashcards combined with a structured vocabulary course. I used physical flashcard boxes (the 5-compartment Leitner system) alongside 17 Minute Languages* for Danish — and the combination was genuinely effective. The key is daily contact with the forms, not marathon sessions once a week.

danish verb conjugation writing flashcard

The Methods That Work

  • Flashcards with the 5-compartment system (Leitner) — The most effective method for long-term retention. Cards you get right move forward; cards you get wrong go back to box 1. The free PDF above gives you a ready-made set plus a guide to the system.
  • Use a structured vocab trainer — Apps like 17 Minute Languages* are built around spaced repetition and include Danish verb forms. From my experience, 15–20 minutes a day is more effective than longer irregular sessions.
  • Keep the reference table accessible — When you encounter an unfamiliar verb form while reading or listening, look it up immediately and add it to your flashcard stack. That active lookup creates a stronger memory trace than passive reading.
  • Learn in small groups — Don’t try to memorise the whole table at once. Take 10–15 verbs at a time, starting with the most common ones (være, have, gå, komme, give, se, tage, sige, gøre, kunne).

Try Danish for Free: 17 Minute Languages

Learn Danish vocabulary — including irregular verb forms — with a proven long-term learning method. The spaced repetition system means you review words exactly when you’re about to forget them.

You’ll be surprised how much you can learn in just two days.

→ Try 17 Minute Languages for Danish for free*

The 10 Most Important Danish Irregular Verbs to Learn First

If you’re just starting out, don’t try to tackle the full table at once. These ten verbs appear in almost every Danish conversation and text — get these right first, and everything else will feel easier.

English Infinitive Present Past Perfect
to be være er var har været
to have have har havde har haft
to go / walk gå går gik har/er gået
to come komme kommer kom er kommet
to give give giver gav har givet
to see se ser så har set
to take tage tager tog har taget
to say sige siger sagde har sagt
to do / make gøre gør gjorde har gjort
can / to be able to kunne kan kunne har kunnet

Once these feel natural, you can work through the full table section by section. The best apps for learning Danish — including Babbel, Mondly, and 17 Minute Languages — all include these core verbs in their early lessons, which means you’ll get natural repetition alongside your deliberate study.

A Note on Danish Verb Auxiliaries: har vs. er

One thing that trips up many learners is the choice between har and er in the perfect tense. English always uses “have” (I have gone, I have come), but Danish splits between the two:

  • har (has/have) — used with most verbs: har givet, har taget, har set
  • er (is/are) — used with verbs of motion or change of state: er kommet, er faldet, er steget
  • Both possible — some verbs allow either, depending on meaning: har/er gået, har/er løbet

This is worth paying attention to in the table above. There’s no shortcut — you simply need to learn which auxiliary goes with which verb, and exposure over time makes this feel increasingly automatic. The most common Danish phrases give you a lot of natural context for seeing these auxiliaries in real use.

danish irregular verbs study flashcards

Danish Verb Resources Worth Knowing

A reliable external reference for Danish grammar — including verb conjugation — is the Den Danske Ordbog (DDO), the official Danish dictionary published by the Society for Danish Language and Literature. Each entry includes full conjugation, which makes it a useful cross-reference when you’re unsure about a specific verb form.

For a broader understanding of how Danish numbers and other building blocks of the language work, the article Danish Numbers Explained is worth a read — counting and numbers involve several of the same verbs you’ll find in this table.

Apps That Help You Practice Danish Verb Conjugation

Knowing the forms is one thing — actively using them is another. These are the apps I’d recommend for Danish verb practice:

Babbel Danish* — Focuses on conversational Danish, with grammar explanations and verb conjugation exercises built into the lessons. Good structure for learners who want guided progression.
→ Learn Danish with Babbel* | Full Babbel Danish review
Mondly Danish* — Uses speech recognition and short daily lessons. Irregular verbs come up naturally in context, which helps with recognition and recall.
→ Try Mondly for Danish* | Full Mondly Danish review
17 Minute Languages Danish* — Pure vocabulary and verb training with a spaced repetition engine. The most targeted option if you specifically want to drill Danish verb forms.
→ Try 17 Minute Languages for Danish free*

For a side-by-side comparison of all three, see: Best Apps to Learn Danish: Babbel, Mondly & 17 Minute Languages Compared.

Sven Mancini – published language learning author and expert

About the Author: Sven Mancini
Sven is a published language learning author and the founder of Learn-A-New-Language.eu. He has learned Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, and French through self-study and is the author of four vocabulary guides. He started learning Danish after already achieving business fluency in Norwegian — using the same systematic methods he documents on this site.→ More about Sven

* Affiliate link. I earn a small commission if you purchase — at no extra cost to you. My recommendations are based on my own experience testing these products, not on commission rates.