Advanced Prepositional Usage in Danish

In Brief

Danish complex prepositions are fixed groups of words that function much like a single preposition. Learn them as complete units: i forhold til (in relation to or compared with), på trods af (despite), i forbindelse med (in connection with), and med henblik på (with the aim of). What follows the phrase—and the register in which it sounds natural—matters as much as the phrase itself.

Overview

At C1, choosing a preposition is no longer only a matter of saying where something is or where it is going. Danish uses multiword expressions to organize arguments, compare facts, mark concessions, connect events, and state purposes. These expressions are especially common in news reports, professional communication, academic prose, public information, and formal discussion.

A prepositional phrase is a group beginning with a preposition and ending in a complement—the word or group that completes its meaning. In på trods af regnen, the full expression på trods af introduces the complement regnen. Although several small words are involved, the expression acts as one unit.

English has close equivalents, but word-for-word matching is unreliable. Danish i forhold til can mean “in relation to,” “compared with,” or, in looser speech, “regarding.” Conversely, English “with a view to” is not always the most natural translation of med henblik på; “in order to” or “for the purpose of” may fit better. The aim is therefore to connect each Danish expression with a function, not with just one English phrase.

How It Works

The four core expressions

Danish expression	Usual English guide	Main function
i forhold til	in relation to; compared with	relates one matter to another or supplies a standard of comparison
på trods af	despite; in spite of	presents a fact that might have been expected to prevent the result
i forbindelse med	in connection with; in conjunction with; around	links a matter or action to an event, case, or occasion
med henblik på	with a view to; with the aim of	states an intended goal, usually in formal contexts

These combinations are largely fixed. Do not replace their final prepositions with the one used in an English expression: it is forhold til, trods af, forbindelse med, and henblik på.

What can follow the expression?

All four expressions can be followed by a noun phrase (a noun together with words that belong to it):

• i forhold til sidste års resultat — compared with last year’s result
• på trods af de mange problemer — despite the many problems
• i forbindelse med konferencen — in connection with the conference
• med henblik på en senere udvidelse — with a view to a later expansion

A pronoun can also be the complement: i forhold til mig (“in relation to me”), på trods af det (“despite that”), and i forbindelse med hende (“in connection with her”). Danish uses the object form of a personal pronoun after a preposition: mig, dig, ham, hende, os, jer, dem.

When a full clause follows, the construction depends on the expression and the meaning:

Danish pattern	English	Note
på trods af at priserne steg	although / despite the fact that prices rose	at introduces a clause with its own subject and finite verb
med henblik på at reducere udgifterne	with the aim of reducing costs	at introduces an infinitive, the basic “to” form of a verb
i forhold til hvad vi forventede	compared with what we expected	an embedded question supplies the comparison point
i forbindelse med at systemet blev opdateret	in connection with the system being updated	possible, but often heavier than a noun-based alternative

With med henblik på at + infinitive, the understood doer of the infinitive should normally be clear from the surrounding clause. In Kommunen ændrede reglerne med henblik på at gøre processen enklere, the municipality changes the rules and intends to make the process simpler. If the intended doer changes, rewrite the sentence so the relationship is explicit.

Position and Danish V2 word order

The entire prepositional phrase can appear later in the clause:

• Vi gik ud på trods af regnen.
• Reglerne blev ændret med henblik på større gennemsigtighed.

It can also be moved to the front to frame what follows. In a Danish main clause, the finite verb—the verb marked for tense—then remains in second position. This produces subject–verb inversion:

• På trods af regnen gik vi ud.
• I forbindelse med mødet drøftede vi budgettet.
• Med henblik på fremtiden bør virksomheden investere nu.

The fronted phrase fills the first position as one unit. A common English-speaking learner error is to keep the subject before the verb after that unit. Danish does not normally allow På trods af regnen vi gik ud as a neutral main clause.

Choosing by function

Use i forhold til when there is a genuine relationship or comparison. The comparison point should be identifiable:

• Salget steg i forhold til sidste år. — Sales increased compared with last year.
• Løsningen er dyr i forhold til alternativerne. — The solution is expensive relative to the alternatives.

Use på trods af when the first fact creates an expectation that the following result contradicts:

• På trods af forsinkelsen nåede vi toget. — The delay made missing the train plausible, but we caught it.

Use i forbindelse med for an actual connection, associated activity, or occasion. Depending on context, it can locate an action around an event rather than claim a logical cause:

• Der bliver ekstra kontrol i forbindelse med festivalen. — Extra checks will take place in connection with the festival.

Use med henblik på for deliberate purpose or future-oriented planning. It is not merely another way to say that one thing happens after another:

• Parterne mødes med henblik på at finde en løsning. — Finding a solution is the aim of the meeting.

Examples in Context

Danish	English	Note
I forhold til sidste år er energiforbruget faldet.	Compared with last year, energy consumption has fallen.	A measurable comparison
Forslaget virker rimeligt i forhold til de andre muligheder.	The proposal seems reasonable relative to the other options.	Evaluation against a standard
Vi må afklare vores ansvar i forhold til kunderne.	We need to clarify our responsibility toward the customers.	Describes a relationship, not a comparison
På trods af regnen gik vi ud.	Despite the rain, we went out.	A noun phrase follows
Hun gennemførte løbet på trods af, at hun havde ondt i knæet.	She completed the race even though her knee hurt.	A full clause follows; the comma is common before at here
På trods af flere advarsler fortsatte arbejdet.	Despite several warnings, the work continued.	Fronting triggers inversion: fortsatte arbejdet
I forbindelse med mødet sender vi en opdateret dagsorden.	In connection with the meeting, we will send an updated agenda.	An associated action
To personer blev anholdt i forbindelse med sagen.	Two people were arrested in connection with the case.	A factual link; it does not itself prove responsibility
Butikken holder lukket i forbindelse med ombygningen.	The shop will be closed during the renovation.	English “during” is natural in this context
Reglerne blev ændret med henblik på større sikkerhed.	The rules were changed with a view to greater safety.	Purpose followed by a noun phrase
Vi indsamler data med henblik på at forbedre servicen.	We collect data in order to improve the service.	Purpose followed by at + infinitive
Med henblik på fremtiden bør vi investere i uddannelse.	With a view to the future, we should invest in education.	Formal, forward-looking framing
Aftalen skal vurderes både i forhold til pris og i forhold til kvalitet.	The agreement must be assessed in terms of both price and quality.	Repetition makes the two criteria explicit
Trods stor modstand blev planen vedtaget.	Despite strong opposition, the plan was adopted.	Concise alternative to på trods af

Common Mistakes

1. Translating the final preposition from English

• Wrong: i forhold med budgettet
• Right: i forhold til budgettet
• Why: The Danish expression is fixed as i forhold til. Learn all three words together rather than rebuilding the phrase from “in relation with/to.”

2. Forgetting inversion after a fronted phrase

• Wrong: På trods af regnen vi gik ud.
• Right: På trods af regnen gik vi ud.
• Why: The fronted phrase occupies the first position. The finite verb gik must come second, before the subject vi.

3. Putting a finite clause directly after på trods af

• Wrong: På trods af det regnede, gik vi ud.
• Right: På trods af at det regnede, gik vi ud.
• Why: A full clause needs at: på trods af at .... Without at, use a noun phrase instead: på trods af regnen.

4. Using med henblik på for an accidental result

• Wrong: Toget blev forsinket med henblik på, at vi kom for sent.
• Right: Toget blev forsinket, så vi kom for sent.
• Why: Med henblik på expresses intention. A delay does not normally intend to make passengers late; så presents the result.

5. Using i forhold til as a universal word for “about”

• Awkward: Jeg har et spørgsmål i forhold til åbningstiderne.
• More direct: Jeg har et spørgsmål om åbningstiderne.
• Why: Informal and institutional Danish often uses i forhold til broadly, but om is clearer when you simply mean “about.” Reserve i forhold til for a relationship, standard, or comparison when possible.

6. Assuming i forbindelse med means “because of”

• Potentially misleading: Flyet blev aflyst i forbindelse med stormen.
• Clear cause: Flyet blev aflyst på grund af stormen.
• Why: I forbindelse med states an association; på grund af states a cause. If causation matters, name it directly.

Usage Notes

Register and concision

The four expressions do not have the same stylistic weight. På trods af is normal in both conversation and writing. I forhold til is also frequent across registers, although its broad use as a topic marker is often criticized as vague. I forbindelse med is common in administration, news, workplace messages, and practical notices. Med henblik på sounds distinctly formal and planned; everyday speech often prefers for at:

• Formal: Vi mødes med henblik på at drøfte sagen.
• Neutral: Vi mødes for at tale om sagen.

Formal wording is not automatically better wording. In a short email, om, ved, under, for at, or a direct verb may communicate the same idea more clearly.

Useful shorter alternatives

Trods can stand alone before a noun phrase: trods regnen. It is concise and common in edited writing. Selv om introduces a full clause and often sounds more natural in speech: Selv om det regnede, gik vi ud. Both convey concession, but their grammar differs.

For comparison, sammenlignet med makes the comparison explicit: Sammenlignet med sidste år er salget steget. For topics, med hensyn til (“with regard to”) is formal but more specifically marks the aspect under discussion, while plain om is usually enough for “about.”

Punctuation with at clauses

Danish allows two official comma systems, one of which places a comma before subordinate clauses and one of which generally does not place a starting comma. You may therefore encounter both på trods af, at ... and på trods af at .... Be consistent with the comma policy used in the text you are writing; the choice does not change the grammar of the expression.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

Avoiding “preposition stacks” in formal prose

Complex prepositions can make abstract writing precise, but several in one sentence create heavy nominal style—writing built around nouns rather than active verbs. Compare:

• Heavy: I forbindelse med vurderingen af planen med henblik på en reduktion af udgifterne blev der foretaget ændringer.
• Clearer: Da vi vurderede planen, ændrede vi den for at reducere udgifterne.

The first version is grammatical and may suit an administrative document. The second identifies the actors and actions more directly. C1 control includes knowing not only how to form an expression, but when to unpack it into a clause.

Scope and ambiguity

A prepositional phrase can attach to more than one part of a sentence. In Vi drøftede ændringerne i forbindelse med mødet, i forbindelse med mødet most naturally tells us when or on what occasion the discussion happened. In another context, it might describe changes connected with the meeting. Move or rewrite the phrase if the intended link is not obvious:

• På mødet drøftede vi ændringerne.
• Vi drøftede de ændringer, der vedrørte mødet.

Likewise, i forhold til sidste år needs an item that can sensibly be compared across years. A sentence such as I forhold til sidste år har vi ændret strategien may mean “compared with last year,” but it can leave unclear what exactly is being compared. Naming the measure—cost, sales, staffing, or policy—makes the claim stronger.

Marked variants

You may meet til trods for before a noun phrase: til trods for kritikken. It has the same concessive core as på trods af but can sound more literary or emphatic. A postposed construction also occurs: Kritikken til trods fortsatte projektet (“The criticism notwithstanding, the project continued”). Recognize these variants, but på trods af and trods are safer neutral choices for your own writing.

Practice Tips

1. Sort by function, not translation. Make four columns labeled relationship/comparison, concession, connection/occasion, and purpose. Add sentences you encounter to the correct column before translating them.
2. Practice fronting and inversion in pairs. Rewrite Vi gik ud på trods af regnen as På trods af regnen gik vi ud. Repeat with each expression and check that the finite verb remains second.
3. Edit for precision. Take five examples of i forhold til or i forbindelse med from Danish workplace or news writing. Ask whether om, under, ved, sammenlignet med, på grund af, or a full clause would be clearer. Keep the complex phrase only when it expresses the intended relationship accurately.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Basic Prepositions — review the core Danish prepositions and how they introduce noun phrases.